


get yourself a libero, baby! (noya x reader)

by ronnie_ao3



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: All-Around Playfulness, Coming of Age, F/M, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, Underage Drinking, Underage Smoking, Unrequited Crush
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,646
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25065955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ronnie_ao3/pseuds/ronnie_ao3
Summary: Summer's finally here, you've graduated from high school and are poised to enter university with a pre-veterinarian track. Everything seems to be falling neatly into place - except for one thing, constantly nagging at you: a ridiculously huge crush on Nishinoya Yuu, the best friend of your best friend's little brother? Yeah, that's the one.disclaimer for current and/or future chapters: contains heavy language, minor violence, mature themes, underage drinking + smoking (specifically cannabis - the marriage iguana, if you will.)
Relationships: Nishinoya Yuu/Reader
Comments: 16
Kudos: 129





	1. Chapter 1

"You know, I've heard he likes older women."

"...You're fucking ridiculous, Saeko."

The blonde woman let out a raucous cackle at your darkening cheeks, already pink from the heat of the day. A bead of sweat rolled down your face as you glared at your best friend, who was still laughing her ass off. 

"Am I? You're the one who has a crush on that pint-sized can of worms!"

You leapt up from your lawn chair and punched Saeko in the shoulder, disgruntled by her matter-of-fact tone. As far as you knew, Saeko was the first person to realize your crush on her brother's best friend. 

"Ouch!"

Sitting back down, you let out a huff of annoyance before taking a swig of your hard lemonade. The sun was rather blinding, you could hardly see around the courtyard you and Saeko were seated in. Putting your feet up on the patio table, you drained the rest of your bottle and set it down with a snap. You lazily glanced over at Saeko, who had four empty bottles on her end of the table, all sitting in a row.

You cringed at the line of glassware; it was only 3:00pm. But she had always been a heavyweight. You couldn't say the same for yourself, but still, it was nice to share a drink with Saeko after months of studying for finals.

"Want another one?" Saeko was getting up from her chair, gathering the empty bottles in her arms as she made to walk inside. 

"Nah, I'm not trying to get shitfaced in the early afternoon."

"Suit yourself."

You glanced at her retreating back before sinking back into your chair, arms behind your head. No more classes for the next month or two, you were happy to report. One more flashcard, and you swore you would quit your dream of becoming a vet, easy as that.

Months prior, you had taken the entrance exams for a rather prestigious university, and got in with your preferred major, no less. Rather extraordinary, but you never were a slouch when it came to academics. 

You stared at the sliding glass door, just barely making out Saeko's shadowy figure moving around the kitchen, disposing of the bottles and retrieving a few fresh ones. Most found your friendship with the blonde Tanaka to be unlikely, but your distinct differences in personality and behavior complimented the other extremely well. Saeko helped you to relax and find a place where you could be calm and content, while you helped Saeko become slightly more rigid and organized.

Suddenly wishing you had another drink, you called to her from outside. She laughed with a "Coming right up!" in response, her middle finger extended. The sun beat down on you as you sat outside, and it tired you.

The noise of the sliding door scraping filled your ears, so you tilted your head back to look at Saeko, her upside-down profile coming closer, three bottles in hand. The smacking of the glass against glass was loud, and you couldn't help but jump in surprise.

"Seriously."

Flipping around to face Saeko, you saw that her jaw was set and a scowl was carved into her brow. 

"Seriously what?" You asked, indignant at her frustration.

"Seriously you should do something about this thing you have for Yuu. It's annoying watching you pine."

Flushing in anger, you resisted the urge to punch her again, and instead took a deep breath.

"I do not _pine,_ Saeko. And it's none of your business, anyway."

"Of course it's my business, he's Ryu's best friend. I've got an in, and that can be to your advantage! Just say the word and I'll start gathering intel pronto!" 

Your eye twitched in anger, and you leapt up to punch her once more. Her wail pierced through the courtyard, and likely could be heard by everyone on the block. The sound of rushing feet grew louder in the coming seconds, and two figures burst through the wooden gate leading to the backroad behind the house. 

"Big-Sis Saeko, are you alright? We thought we heard a yell!" 

Ah, dear Lord. Saeko's face split into a horrible grin as you both looked upon the two sudden incomers. Nishinoya and Tanaka, who had happened to be en route after practice, stood before us in their sweaty, post-volleyball glory. You sighed, cracking off the top of your hard lemonade with your handy-dandy portable bottle opener (a gift from Saeko), which had been peacefully hanging next to your car keys this whole time in your pocket. 

The loud sound got the attention of the two high-school students, and they looked at you, mouths agape. You flicked the metal bottle-top towards the pair, and it hit Tanaka's shoulder.

"She's perfectly fine, just running her mouth on something that's none of her business." You said lowly, unknowingly emanating a rather frightening aura. They gulped, nodding and glancing between Saeko and yourself before piling into the kitchen and shutting the door with a snap.

Saeko sighed, shaking her head.

"You're fucking hopeless."

You looked at the sky, the sun having hidden behind a cloud. It was big, and blue, the occasional white puff marring the otherwise smooth-looking texture. 

_'Maybe I **am** hopeless.'_

It wasn't on purpose, your crush on Nishinoya. In fact, you weren't even sure at what point in your friendship with him you started having feelings for him at all. You'd known him for a few years, ever since you and Saeko got close, and only because he was always hanging around with Tanaka. Your age spread wasn't horrible, though. Only a year apart. The running joke was how much older you were than Noya, even though it wasn't by very much at all.

Still, you felt ashamed about it, this crush you had on him. Noya might be a spunky guy, but he was still younger than you. You told yourself there was no way he could ever return your feelings, even if he did have any for you. You wouldn't allow yourself to take advantage of him like that.

A gnawing feeling of guilt ate at you, and you huffed once more. Saeko raised her eyebrow at you, but before she could say anything, you were pounding that hard lemonade, and within seconds, the bottle was empty. Wiping your mouth, you glared at her appalled half-grin.

"Whoa, that was epic! Do it again!" You had hardly heard the scraping of the sliding door, but recognized the voice without needing to look over. Nishinoya.

You met his gaze, and smirked. 

"Only if you bring me another one."

The spiky-haired libero jumped in excitement, rushing back into the house to retrieve another bottle of hard lemonade. You felt the tips of your fingers and toes getting tingly, though that was likely from the alcohol. As said before, you were no heavyweight.

Glancing over to your best friend, you cringed at her glower.

"It's one thing to be hopeless, it's another to be hopeless _and_ hopeful at the same time." Her words cut you, and you groaned. 

"Don't say it like that." You begged.

She was about to say something else, but paused when she saw Nishinoya running back through the back door, bottle in hand.

Accepting it, you cracked off the top, setting it on the table. You took a look into the shorter boy's chocolate-hued eyes, and nearly melted before raising the glass to your lips. He cheered as you chugged, not letting any of the liquid slip down the sides of your mouth.

His eyes had a fiery intensity about them, and it was the root of your infatuation with him; whenever those eyes were fixed on you, and only you, it was hard to remain calm. Your stomach was currently doing flips as a result of being watched so intently, his eyes radiating focus.

Maybe if Noya watched you so eagerly every time you pounded a drink, you'd take up day-drinking.

\---

Enjoying the buzzing sensation that came with being tipsy, you and Saeko found yourselves in the den later that evening, stretched out on the makeshift bed that resided in the corner. The television was on, and you two were avidly watching a documentary on monkeys. One of them was eating a banana, and another was hanging from a tree, screeching at it in envy.

"Have you noticed..." Saeko started, slurring her words slightly. Okay, maybe she was a little more smashed than you thought.

"...that these monkeys act a lot like Ryu and Noya?" 

You choked on your spit, busting out laughing. The room spun as you went to face her, and you shouted, "You're right! They do act like monkeys!"

"Shhh, you're so loud!" She whisper-shouted at you, rosy cheeks and all.

"Who acts like monkeys?" You both nearly jumped out of your skins, whirling around to face the direction of the voice who'd just entered. It was none other than Tanaka, who was scowling at his sister suspiciously. You giggled, and his expression softened ever so slightly. You and Tanaka had been tight since the day you met. While Saeko was your #1 go-to, Tanaka was a close second, and you trusted him with anything.

"You and Noya." You said, straight-faced. But Saeko let out a cackle and you couldn't help but join in, and the two of you rolled around the blankets in your mirth. Tanaka yelled something incoherent at the pair of you, pointing his finger and jumping up and down, which only added to your fits of laughter.

"You and Noya what?" Nishinoya had come in, and he had clearly just finished up a shower. Your addled self couldn't help but gape at his shirtless torso as he toweled off his hair, the movement of his arms causing his skin to stretch over his abs in the most pleasant way, defining them. 

_'Thank you, volleyball.'_ You said silently to yourself, trying to tear your eyes away from their glory to no avail.

Oh, and his legs? Grey sweatpants covered his bottom half, but you could tell how sculpted his legs were even through the clothing. It made you squirm uncomfortably.

Not noticing your stare, Noya took one look at the TV before joining Tanaka in his rage, screeching, "You think we're like those monkeys?!"

You used your arms to prop yourself up, but instantly regretted it as your head spun and your vision blurred. Dropping back onto the bed, you let out a groan. Saeko, who was closest to you, loomed over you suddenly, face concerned. Okay, maybe you were a little more smashed than you thought, too.

"You alright, Y/N?" That was Tanaka's voice, you thought, but you couldn't respond if you wanted. Your current goal was to keep the nausea at bay, your vision still spinning as you attempted opening your eyes once more.

"Man, I forgot how much of a lightweight you could be." 

Too dazed to make a witty retort at the blonde woman, you choked out, "Rude." before slapping a hand over your mouth, hating the feeling of bile rising in your throat. Hands raised you up, to your dismay, as you just wanted to lie still and wait for the feeling to pass. You were all but dragged halfway across the room by Saeko, who barked at Tanaka for him to help her to get you to the bathroom.

"Just in case. We don't want a repeat of last time." She said, patting you on the back as you knelt in front of the toilet. You couldn't even argue; last time you got like this, you had vomited all over the patio. Thankfully, the boys hadn't been there, they were away at a training camp. It was still embarrassing, but was manageable. This time, the pressure was on, with Noya and Tanaka lingering in the bathroom doorway, watching in concern.

A minute or two passed, with no sign of puking in sight. Eventually, the feeling of retching completely subsided, and you let out a relieved sigh.

"Phew. I'm all good, guys. Thanks for worrying."

Grabbing the bathroom counter, you hoisted yourself up, pushing away Saeko's helping hand.

"I got it, thanks."

The four of you returned to the den, Saeko leaving to get a glass of water for you from the kitchen. You smiled stupidly before flopping into one of the armchairs and lolling your head to the side. 

"You should dial it down next time, we don't want you to get sick." Tanaka's concerned voice brought you out of your tipsy stupor, and you straightened, sobered.

"Sorry, Ryu. Didn't want to disappoint Noya, is all." Unbeknownst to you, Nishinoya's eyes widened at that, and a blush crept up his neck. Tanaka glared at him, before turning back to you, ready to fire back with a reprimand. But you had gone limp with sleep, head lolling to the side once more as you dozed. No doubt you were dreaming dreams of a shirtless Noya, much to your own shame.

"What was that?" The brunette libero asked his friend when they exited the den. He would be sleeping over that night, and they'd walk to practice together the next day, too. The pair passed Saeko in the hall, who had a glass of water in hand.

Tanaka shrugged.

"Hell if I know. She gets loopy when she's drunk." 

The pair laughed, but when the sound finally trailed off, Noya was still puzzled. He couldn't help but wonder what you had meant, because you could never disappoint him. You were someone he looked up to, but not as an older sister, like Saeko. More like...a close friend, but with more feelings? 

Noya shook his head to clear it as he plopped down on his sleeping bag in Tanaka's room, laying his head down on the pillow.

Tanaka clicked the lights off, but from his position on the floor, Noya could see a faint light seep under the closed doorway. He was sure you and Saeko would be up for at least another hour, to finish that ridiculous documentary. 

Turning over to face away from the light, Noya closed his eyes, welcoming sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So excited to keep writing, I have so much in store! Might just squish every single cliche to ever exist into this fic ;) Kidding lol, but anyway, leave a comment if you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

You awoke with a jolt, the early morning sun piercing your eyeballs.

 _'Damn it,_ _didn't shut the curtains last night.'_

Wiping at the dried drool in the corner of your mouth, you glanced at the alarm clock situated next to the TV of the den.

'6:12 am', blinked at you obnoxiously in green light. You groaned at the ridiculously early time, and fell back to rest on the makeshift bed. Saeko was next to you, a tangle of limbs and blonde hair. You laughed to yourself, resisting the urge to snap a photo. She was snoring, and had a matching trail of drool along her mouth. Real cute.

Closing your eyes, you were dismayed when you realized that your body was wide awake, and had no intention on going back to sleep. 

Mumbling angrily but quietly so as to not wake up Saeko, you carefully rolled yourself onto the hardwood floors before standing gracefully, and definitely not nearly crashing into the wall. Cursing at yourself, you carefully slid out of the room, silently closing the door behind you.

Your first move was towards the bathroom; a shower was needed, and definitely a thorough round of brushing your teeth. You hadn't brought an overnight bag, but Saeko would let you borrow some of her clothes. 

The house was still dark, but you could see that Tanaka's door was shut, and the lights were off inside. Were you really the first one up? Racking your brains, you attempted to remember what time the boys' practice started in the mornings. You guessed 7:00, but couldn't be certain.

The second the warm water hit your skin, you felt properly awake. You scrubbed at your body with Saeko's shower gel, and used her shampoo as well, working your fingers through your hair. The quiet was peaceful, the rushing water calming you. Early mornings were nice, sometimes, even when they were unplanned. Once you were sure you were spic and span, you turned the water off and stepped out of the steamy shower.

Retrieving a fresh towel from under the bathroom sink, you dried off as your free hand opened another drawer to snatch your toothbrush. You'd crashed at Saeko's so many times, you had your own. The next objective was to brush all traces of alcohol stench out of your mouth, and then douse everything in Listerine for good measure. You despised smelling bad, and were in higher spirits after cleaning yourself.

Gathering your old clothes and tidying the bathroom, you wrapped your towel tighter around yourself and moved to open the door and exit. One step outside revealed a change in the environment: Tanaka's door was open, the lights on. You heard whispers and movement, probably from the pair getting ready for volleyball. You took a silent step towards Saeko's room, which was currently deserted, as the blonde was laid out in the den. 

A ridiculously loud creak came from the floorboard beneath your foot, and your eyes widened as you heard the whispers stop. Making a run for it, you barely got into Saeko's bedroom before Noya and Tanaka's heads popped into the hallway.

"Y/N? That you?" Tanaka's whisper floated down the hall, and you poked your own head out to see them, the rest of your body safely behind the door. 

"Yeah, it's me." 

"Your hair's wet, did you just shower?" Noya's statement of the obvious nearly made you scoff, but you instead nodded, blushing slightly at the thought of him thinking about a showered version of you.

You were about to disappear into Saeko's room once more, but Tanaka's whisper-shout pulled your head back out.

"Hey, sorry to ask, but since you're up, could we get a ride to practice? We woke up late." 

You narrowed your eyes at him, but he really did look miserable. Knowing their team captain, Noya and Tanaka would likely run extra laps after practice for being late. You were actually good friends with Daichi, and you two were in the same class. It wouldn't be horrible seeing him and saying hi, even at this ungodly hour.

"Fine, fine. Let me change really quick."

Their faces lit up, and they whisper-shouted, "You're the best, Y/N!" before ducking back into Tanaka's room. You laughed, closing the door behind you and making a beeline for Saeko's closet. It was supposed to be warmer out today, you recalled, selecting a pair of shorts and a cute tank top. 

Minutes later, you all had piled into your little yellow car. Noya, having called shotgun, was sitting in the passenger seat and bouncing slightly with excitement, while Tanaka was pouting in the back, arms crossed and a visible scowl on his face, from what you could see in the rearview mirror. 

"What a baby." You muttered to yourself, turning the ignition and starting down the side road. Checking the time, you saw that you had twenty-five minutes to get to Karasuno Gymnasium. Balking, you turned to shout at the two players.

"You guys had plenty of time to get to practice!"

They smirked, looking at each other deviously.

"Walking to practice sucks, and you were already up." Noya shrugged, that grin stretched across his face. You glowered at him, as furious as you could be while the sun barely peeked above the hills.

"Man, fuck you guys. I didn't even get the chance to make coffee." 

"Yeah, I'm sure Saeko would be lost if you weren't there to make her coffee every morning." Tanaka said sarcastically, and you didn't need to look back to know he was rolling his eyes. 

You spotted a Coffee Depot in a small strip mall, and promptly turned into the parking lot. Tanaka and Noya protested, but you were adamant. Swearing you'd only be a minute, you jogged into the shop, not caring if the two blockheads were late in that moment. That was payback for making you leave the house so early. Nearly three minutes later, you exited with a large to-go cup, full of boiling-hot coffee.

"Alright, now we're good to go." You declared, making sure your travel cup was safe in its cup holder before pulling out of your parking space. No response from the boys, they were sullenly blank-faced. No doubt they were dreading Daichi's impending wrath.

You couldn't help but smirk as you parked at the high school, stepping out with them, to their surprise.

"You're coming in?" Noya asked, brows raised.

"Well, yeah. I've got time." You said, smiling at him as his face brightened.

"Awesome!" 

The three of you entered the building, the door making a loud crashing sound, puncturing the silence surrounding the gym. The second Tanaka and Noya stepped in, it seemed, Daichi was upon them, a scarily calm look on his face. You chuckled as you sipped your coffee, smug as anything.

"You're late." Checking your phone, you confirmed that they were, indeed, late. By two minutes, but still. Late was late for Daichi, and the two second-years cowered from his frightening aura. They hung their heads when they went to join the rest of the team, who was still snickering at their entrance. They had been penalized fifty laps of additional running after practice.

Daichi was about to return to stretches when he caught sight of you, and his expression warmed.

"Y/N! Haven't seen you since finals week, how've you been?"

You two chatted happily for a few minutes, but you couldn't help but notice Daichi get closer and closer to you as you talked. Not thinking much of it, you went on and on about the veterinary program you'd been admitted into, and he congratulated you sincerely. He was leaning against the wall, but his foot inched towards yours.

"How about you, what are your plans for the future?" You asked, jerking your gaze away from his slowly approaching foot and giving him a smile. He beamed back, and begun to explain his plans to move forward after they won at Nationals. 

_'He's being pretty confident.'_ You thought to yourself, slightly confused. Daichi had always been a great guy, but he wasn't one to boast like this. 

Unbeknownst to you, Nishinoya had noticed Daichi's odd behavior from across the gym. He was glaring at his captain, even as he stretched with the rest of the team. He couldn't place why exactly he was so upset with Daichi, all he knew was that seeing him get so close to you rubbed him the wrong way. Looking away with a huff, Nishinoya instead focused on what Suga was announcing to all of them about today's practice.

Eventually, Daichi returned to the rest of the team to inform them of the day's drills, and you let out a sigh of relief. Noya did, too, but you were too busy talking to Coach Ukai to notice. The older blond man knew you from when you attended previous practices and games, and you two got along splendidly. You'd even tagged along one night when Ukai, Saeko, and yourself were all but dragged to a bar by Nekoma's coach. You might be just out of high school, but being Saeko's friend seemed to tack on a few years.

The pretty manager, Kiyoko, came up to greet you kindly. You politely chatted with her, though a tinge of jealousy swept through you. She was lovely, but you couldn't see what was so attractive about her to Tanaka and Noya. All the same, she was quite nice, and easy to get along with. The younger blonde manager, Yachi, arrived half-way through practice, apologizing profusely to Ukai, bowing over and over again.

She joined you two, and you all talked of school and the plans for Karasuno to take on Nationals. 

"Will you be coming to the games, Y/N? They're gonna be awesome!" Yachi asked excitedly, and you nodded.

"Of course! I could never miss my favorite boys kicking ass!" 

They continued to chat as you looked over at the court. It looked like they were practicing serves and receives, you deduced. Your eyes fell upon Yamaguchi, the somewhat shy, green-haired pinch server. He was readying a serve, and ended up executing a perfect jump float serve. On the other side of the court, you saw a blur as Noya raced to receive the serve, not with complete ease for that matter. Yamaguchi's serves had gotten formidable, from what Ukai was saying.

Noya crashed on the ground, but he successfully received the serve. Cheering from the floor, he scrambled to his feet and caught your eye, giving you an enthusiastic wave. You gave him a thumbs-up back, grinning, trying to hold back a blush.

The sun rose, illuminating the already-lit gym as the time passed. Your phone buzzed from within your bag, and you fished it out, opening it to read the text from Saeko.

> **"Where are you?? I wake up to an empty house, and NO COFFEE?!" - Saeko Killer**

You sighed, rolling your eyes. Tanaka may have been joking earlier, but it really had become a routine of yours to make coffee for the house when you slept over. You thumbed back a quick text, along the lines of:

> **"Took the dummies to practice, be back soon."**

Walking over to the players, who were taking a quick break from drills, you tapped Tanaka on the shoulder, who was laughing with Hinata, the spirited orange-haired middle blocker. He turned, still smiling.

"I've gotta go, your sister ails for me. Can't figure out the coffee maker."

Tanaka chuckled, disbelieving. You showed him the text, and he stopped promptly.

"Oof, good luck with that. See you later, and thanks again for the ride." 

You turned to look for Nishinoya, but he was animatedly talking to Asahi, who was nodding along. You'd text him, you told yourself, not wanting to interrupt his conversation just to say goodbye. Besides, you'd probably seen him soon, anyway.

You took your leave, shooting Noya a quick text as you walked to your car:

> **"Had to go, you looked great practicing though! Gonna kick butt at the next game ;)"**

Only after you sent it did you realize the connotation behind those choice words, and blanched, looking back down at your phone. Saying he looked great was already incriminating enough, but the winky face? You were used to adding those to your messages, but had never sent one to Noya before. 

_'Ah, well. I'm sure he won't think much of it.'_

A little while later, after Tanaka and Noya had finally finished their penalty laps and collapsed by their gym bags, the spiky-haired libero grasped for his phone. Instantly spotting your text notification, he opened it. A strangled noise escaped him, and his face went bright red. 

"You good?" Tanaka asked incredulously, still panting from the death laps.

Noya said nothing, still staring at the screen. 

\---

Your car screeched to a halt outside your parents' place later that morning, with the main objective of packing up the rest of your room in preparation to move. 

Of course, you'd returned to Tanaka's to make coffee for Saeko, who thanked you over and over again. You just rolled your eyes, she was perfectly capable of making coffee, she was just being an absolute baby. You, yourself, partook in a couple cups before leaving, as the quality was significantly higher than that of Coffee Depot.

By the time you were outside your parents' door, you were a jittering mess. 

_'Too much coffee.'_ You cursed yourself when your hand shook as it went to unlock the door. 

Stepping inside your family's home, you greeted your mom and dad, who were doing the dishes in the kitchen. 

"Good morning!" Your mom said cheerily, asking how Saeko and Tanaka were doing. She loved the two siblings, despite their somewhat bad influence on you. Granted, she didn't exactly know about everything you guys got up to, but she knew a little, and didn't seem to mind. Your dad, however, wasn't overly thrilled about the blonde, and didn't quite approve of your friendship. 

But, ultimately, you were a responsible adult, and were soon moving into an apartment not too far away, so he respected your choices.

"They're doing well! Dropped Tanaka and Noya off at practice this morning, got talking with Daichi." They knew Daichi too, and both adored him, your father especially.

"Ah, how's Daichi doing?" Your dad chimed in, smiling.

You knew he wanted Daichi as a son-in-law, he made it painfully obvious every time the Karasuno team captain came up in conversation, which was more often than you wanted. Part of you understood, Daichi was reliable and kind, qualities every father looked for in a 'suitable' husband for his daughter. You grimaced.

"He's doing great! He's actually moving to an apartment too, it's not too far from mine."

"Wonderful! You'll be seeing a lot of him, then."

"Yeah, probably." 

Your mom piped up suddenly, changing the subject helpfully. 

"Ah, Y/N! It turns out I can't help you move into the apartment tomorrow, I have to pick up your brother from school. His carpool had to cancel." 

Your face fell, jaw dropping. You had a lot of furniture to move, not to mention many, many boxes. You internally sweated as you tried picturing yourself lugging your desk up the stairs on your own. While your mom was no strong-man from the circus, she would've been a huge help. And your dad was supposed to work all day, as usual, so that was another dead end.

"Uh, no worries. I'll find some people to help. Gonna go finish packing."

You skipped up the stairs, racking your brains as to who would be free to help you. Passing your brother's room, you poked your head in. He was, of course, playing video games on his Xbox, headphones on and clicking away furiously.

"Hey, Georgie?"

He barely heard you, but paused his game nonetheless, looking over.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Apparently Mom can't help me move tomorrow. No idea who to call."

He thought to himself for a minute.

"And Saeko can't help you?"

You shook your head.

"She has work."

"What about her brother? I'm sure Ryu would help you."

"Oh, good idea! I'll see if he's around. Thanks, pal." 

Georgie nodded, returning his focus to his game. He really was a great little brother, compared to most out there. He was a third-year in middle school right now, going to be a first-year in high school soon. You all were really proud of him, he was excellent at soccer, and was always part of the middle school team's starting lineup as a forward. It was unfortunate his practice interfered with your plans to move, but you didn't mind.

You continued down the hall, turning into your room and taking a look around. Bed was made, as you weren't there to sleep in it last night, and an empty cardboard box rested at the foot of it. More full boxes were stacked along the wall, containing most of your worldly possessions. All you had left was packing up your closet, which wouldn't take too long.

Flopping onto your bed, you pulled out your phone and selected Tanaka's contact, crafting a text. No sooner than you had put the phone down next to you did it buzz, and you picked it back up again, looking at the thread.

> **"Hey Tanaka, can I ask you a favor?"**
> 
> **"...Depends on what it is." -Tanaka**

You smiled, typing back. 

> **"Could you help me move into my apartment tomorrow? Something came up with Mom."**

You held your breath as you saw him typing back, and then his message came through.

> **"I can help you after morning practice. Do you need me to bring some other players to help?" -Tanaka**

You let out a sigh of relief, thumbing back another text.

> **"Yes, that would be great. I can pick you guys up at the gym, if that works. Thank you so much."**
> 
> **"Sounds good. And don't worry about it." -Tanaka**

You smiled. Tanaka really did have your back. He was like another little brother, but way cooler and more worldly. And he was only a year younger than you, so you could pretty much talk to him about anything, and he'd understand where you were coming from. 

Initially, you had planned to drive with your mom, who had a beefy pickup truck large enough for all of your things. Walking back downstairs, you asked if she would still let you use the truck.

"Yeah, for sure! I'll have to borrow your car though, to pick up Georgie." You nodded, and exchanged car keys with her. 

You figured you'd have Tanaka help you load the truck tomorrow, if you did it tonight you'd worry about things getting stolen.

You wondered who Tanaka would be able to bring to help you move. Maybe Noya? Or even Asahi and Suga? They all probably had plans, but you crossed your fingers that someone would pull through.


	3. Chapter 3

The following day, at 10:42am, you pulled up to Karasuno high school, parking near the gym. 

You hopped down from the rather high-up driver's seat of your mom's truck, and shut the large door with a snap. You glanced at the sky, hands on your hips. It was cooler out today, thanks to the ample cloud coverage, brought in by last night's winds. You'd donned athletic wear and tied your hair back, completing your ensemble with jogging shoes. 

_'Ready to lift some heavy fucking boxes.'_ You told yourself, getting pumped up.

Turning to face the gym, you checked your phone for the time. You decided to go and take a look at what the team was doing, since they'd probably be finishing up soon, anyway. Pushing open the door quietly, you slipped inside the gym, sounds of rushing footsteps and volleyballs being smashed filling your ears. Everyone was hard at work, broken up in pairs and working on varying techniques.

You spotted Noya instantly, and he was practicing setting while Suga gave him pointers. Tanaka was spiking with Asahi, and all the first-years were working on serves with Daichi. It was nice seeing the third-year coaching the younger ones, it was kind of sweet. You smiled when he tried ruffling Tsukki's hair, who was much, much taller than he, and whose expression resembled that of a grouchy, old man. 

While you still had yet to meet a few of the younger players, you'd heard lots about them from Tanaka and Nishinoya. There were two grumpy ones, Tsukki and Kageyama, who must be the angsty-looking, dark-haired player yelling at Hinata. And of course you knew Yamaguchi, he'd accidentally bumped into you at a tournament a few weeks ago, knocking you on your butt. 

He'd almost started crying, he felt so bad, but you assured him you were alright and led him back to where Karasuno was camping in an attaching gym, waiting for their turn to play. Tsukki gave you the glare of a lifetime, and you gave one right back to him, cracking your knuckles threateningly. After that, you were sure he didn't like you in the slightest, though Tanaka assured you it wasn't a personal thing.

Your attention was yanked away from the players by Coach Ukai, who'd sidled up to you silently.

"So, I hear you're recruiting some of my players to help you move some furniture?" He asked, a tinge of wariness in his voice. You nodded, and he too, nodded, looking like he wanted to say something more.

A brief pause, and then,

"Don't push them too hard. If they get injured this close to Finals..." He trailed off, but looked at you pointedly, the threat imminent in his eyes. You gulped, waving your arms as you swore they'd stay safe and healthy. Ukai grunted, crossing his arms and walking back over to Kiyoko. He shouted at the players to finish up their drills and clean up, and you sat down by the door.

By the time everyone had circled up to listen to Ukai, Tanaka and Noya had noticed your presence. Noya visibly perked up, and Tanaka waved. That drew the attention of the rest of the team to you, for some reason. Suddenly, many faces were looking at you in question, and you flushed, waving at them. You knew most of them, you were pleased to admit. 

"Hey, knuckleheads, pay attention!" Ukai barked at them, and they all faced forward once more, abashed.

After practice was declared over, and the meeting ended, you waited around as the players slowly filtered out of the room. Tsukki pushed past you wordlessly, and Yamaguchi stopped briefly to apologize for him, saying a proper hello to you as well. His cute smile warmed your heart, and you wondered how he put up with so much grumpiness from the taller boy.

Suga stopped to say hello, as well. You didn't know Suga as well as you did Daichi, but he was always so kind when you did get the chance to speak with him.

"So, moving to a new apartment now that finals are over?" He asked, a twinkle in his eye.

"You bet. I'm so grateful to Tanaka and whoever else ends up being able to help me out." You said truthfully, and he nodded, smiling.

"You know...I should probably host a house-warming party. There's an attaching balcony with a grill, it could be a barbecue." You said, more to yourself than Suga, who laughed.

"Count me in. That sounds like a really fun time."

Suga said goodbye, exiting the gym with a wave.

You watched as he waltzed down the path towards the road, where your truck stood. It was rather large, proportionally speaking, compared to the rest of the scenery. Your mom had insisted on getting a huge vehicle for herself, but the monstrously large truck didn't really match up with her gentle personality.

"Y/N."

You turned at the sound of Tanaka's voice, and almost jumped. You hadn't noticed the group of boys line up behind you and Suga, just sitting there, waiting. 

"H-Hi! Sorry, I didn't see you guys."

You took a closer look at who was there. Tanaka, of course, and standing alongside him were Nishinoya, Daichi, and the orange-haired first-year, Hinata. 

"Dang, you're all gonna help me move? I really appreciate it!"

They nodded, saying it wasn't a problem. Hinata looked nervous but excited, and you realized you'd never introduced yourself to him officially. You knew who _he_ was, but he probably had no clue who _you_ were. 

"Hinata -" The boy almost jumped, straightening up. You laughed nervously at his overreaction before continuing.

"I don't think we've officially met, I'm Y/N. I'm a third-year like Daichi, though technically we're all done with school and finals, so I guess we're first-year college students now?" You went on, before cutting yourself off, realizing you were rambling like an idiot.

"Uh, sorry, I'm rambling - Anyway, thanks for agreeing to help me out."

"No problem! Happy to help." Hinata said back, relaxing slightly, and you smiled. 

As you approached the truck, you realized that only one or (at absolute most) two people could drive with you. A fatal flaw in an almost perfect plan. Laughing nervously once more, you turned to face them, ready to break the uncomfortable news that at least two people would have to sit in the truck bed, before Tanaka cleared his throat, swinging around a set of keys.

"Brought Saeko's car with me this morning, after I dropped her off at work. Consider it her way of helping you move."

Glancing to the left of your car, you gawked at the sight of Saeko's van in the stall next to yours. How did you not see that on the way in? 

Echoing your thoughts, Noya said, "How the hell did you miss that?", snickering. You lightly punched him in the shoulder, shooting back a "You can ride with Tanaka, since your brain's so big."

He aww'd at that, looking rather downtrodden. Not that Nishinoya would admit it out loud, but he wanted to ride with you more than anything, and even more so now that he knew there was only one seat available. A combination of human nature and the strange desire to be close to you. 

_'Plus,'_ he thought to himself, _'if I ride with her then Daichi can't.'_ Noya felt a little bad for thinking that way, but something in him despised the thought of Daichi horning in on his friend - close friend. It was for protection! Yeah, that was it.

"I'm kidding, you can ride with me, but only if you lose the 'tude." You said, winking at him innocently. He perked up, and punched the air in celebration. 

"Yes! See y'all on the other side!" He took off towards the truck, and the rest of you ambled along after him. Daichi and Hinata got in Saeko's car with Tanaka. You and Noya clambered up into the truck seats, and you turned the ignition.

Soon enough, you were driving to your parents' house, Tanaka's car not far behind you. Noya was fidgeting with the radio, and the windows were down. It really was a beautiful, cool day, the clouds providing a soft cover from the sun. Your eyes were on the road, but it was all you could do to keep them there, and not focused on the attractive guy beside you. The static came in and out of hearing as Noya flicked the dial this way and that, finally settling on a position when a song came through clearly.

'Manic Monday' by The Bangles scratched against the radio, its sound waves soaring their way out of the machine and into your ears. It was a classic, and you couldn't help but mouth the lyrics and move your hips a little as the chorus approached. Glancing over at Noya, you saw that he was already looking at you incredulously.

"Ex-cuse me for appreciating good music," You said sarcastically, and he chuckled.

"Eighties music slaps, I was just waiting for the chorus. You seemed really into it." His voice was calmer than you'd heard it in a while, and it made you feel calmer yourself, even though your heart was basically on fire from being in such close proximity to your crush.

"Oh, believe me, when it comes to my eighties music, I get way into it. Bit of a guilty pleasure." You said, laughing as Noya's eyes widened. Eighties music was one of his guilty pleasures, too. He couldn't help a smile crossing his face instinctively, glancing at you from the side. Then again, you'd always had good taste. He admired you greatly, and respected your opinion no matter the topic. You were just an important person to him.

"We should...listen to some eighties music together sometime." He said slowly, looking straight ahead.

"Aren't we doing that right now?" You laughed, not understanding.

"Yeah, you're right! Fingers crossed they play 'Like A Virgin'!" Nishinoya glossed over the attempt at asking you out, a tad crestfallen. You let out a guffaw.

"I didn't know you were a Madonna fan..." You said, snickering. He looked offended.

"Ex-cuse me," he said, mimicking you perfectly, "- for appreciating good music." 

You lost it, and swerved a bit, your laughter overcoming you. Noya yelled in fright, grabbing the handle above the door in panic, but you stabled yourself, still laughing your head off. Tears formed in your eyes of laughter, and you wiped them away.

Seeing where you were, you suddenly jerked to the side, causing Noya to yell again. It was a bumpy parking job, but you'd come up on your folks' house and not even realized it! The van behind you followed, executing an even messier swerve to park behind you. Ah, Tanaka. Not the greatest driver, but you weren't really one to talk.

"Jeez, man. Are you trying to kill us?" Noya said indignantly, but failed at holding back his laughter at your terrible driving. You shrugged, raising your hand to squeeze his arm before you slid out of the truck to greet the others.

"No, you're too important." His ears turned magenta, but you'd already left, your words echoing in his ears. He raised his arm to where you'd touched it, and couldn't help but smile stupidly, replaying the events of the last ten seconds. 

\---

Directing the boys was easier than you had imagined, and they were more efficient than you and your mom would have been. It almost seemed a competition between Tanaka and Hinata, who supposedly had made a high-stakes bet: whoever finished first got to choose the punishment for the other. 

"Guys, really, you be careful, okay? Ukai is going to _kill_ me if you get hurt moving my crap." You warned, begging them to be safe, for your own sake and theirs. They nodded, insisting they'd be the carefullest. 

And they were. Each of them was so gentle handling your boxes and possessions, no accidents occurred as you loaded the truck. You carried items, too, and offered to help on countless occasions to lift something heavy. When it was Daichi, he would refuse kindly, thanking you for offering. Hinata and Tanaka let you help them separately in lieu of their competition, but only as long as the other player received the same help directly after, so everything was fair.

Noya was the hardest-working of all of them, to your slight surprise. And it didn't stop with loading the truck at your house. The moment you'd arrived at the secondary location, your new apartment, he sprung out of the truck and sprinted to the truck bed, undoing the bungee cords you'd placed to hold the boxes down. 

"Thanks, Noya." You grinned at him, and he grinned back. Daichi came up to help, and Nishinoya's grin faded significantly.

"Which floor is your apartment on?" He asked practically, likely wondering if we'd need the elevator. 

"The fourth floor." You said, face falling. It was a lot of stairs, and you knew some items like your queen-sized mattress would not fit in the elevator. Daichi nodded, before reaching into the truck bed and picking up three full boxes of items.

"Th-that's really heavy, isn't it? You can lighten your load if you want." You protested, but he insisted it was a comfortable weight. "Not too heavy", he responded.

Nishinoya, seeing this, suddenly filled his arms with boxes; four, to be exact. One box more than Daichi. With a nasty look at Daichi, he took off for the front door, impressively balancing the four boxes as he went. You giggled at his odd behavior, tossing the keys to Tanaka and saying for him to go ahead while you unloaded the mattress. He nodded, instructing Hinata to grab the doors for Noya, who was long gone by now.

Daichi adjusted the boxes in his arms, redistributing their weight. You were focused on the mattress cover, re-checking your job of sealing it safely away to avoid it getting dirty on the way up the stairs. The dark-haired captain cleared his throat, and you looked up to your right at him.

"What's up?" You asked, slightly distracted as your hand ran down the side of the mattress, checking its bindings.

"I..."

His voice faltered, and he cleared his throat again.

"Heh, sorry. I just - wanted to ask you something." 

"Oh, go for it! What's on your mind?" You turned to face him, giving him your full attention. The kind smile on your face nearly caused Daichi to blush, and he started again, determined to get his message out. Your blithe smile froze at his next words.

"Would you go on a date with me?" 

Your eyes widened.

'A...date? With Daichi?' 

Noticing your look, he cleared his throat a third time, unable to hold back his dark blush.

"I..." You said idiotically. Shaking your head to clear it, you thought about it. A date with Daichi could be fun, he was a total catch. All the closeness from yesterday suddenly made sense, and you felt flattered. Your dreams of Nishinoya seemed more unattainable the more you thought about him, mostly because you would never let yourself take advantage of him, so you thought hard before responding. You just...cared about the libero too much.

"I...would love to." Daichi visibly untensed at your words, letting out a sigh of relief. You smiled at him, firm in your decision. Daichi was great, and getting to know him better wouldn't be such a bad thing. 

"Awesome." He said, seeming much more confident.

He shouldered the boxes once more, taking off for the front doors just as Nishinoya was circling back, coming for another load of boxes. You pointed at the small nightstand, asking for him to get that one next, since it was atop the other items.

"Noya, guess what just happened?" You said before he could rush off. He looked back at you inquisitively.

"What?" 

"Daichi just asked me out."

The libero's face was unreadable.

"Like...on a date?"


	4. Chapter 4

You sat inside your apartment, awaiting Daichi's arrival.

He'd texted you the night of moving day, right after you'd gotten fully settled in, asking if you wanted to go to a fun new restaurant for your date (apparently a cute little Italian place had recently opened in the area). Being a fan of everything carbs, you quickly agreed, already salivating at the thought of bread rolls and buttery pasta.

Your schedule was relatively free, but his was less easy to navigate, so you ended up waiting a few days before coming across a good time for it. Daichi was mostly busy due to volleyball, but apparently he also volunteered? This was pretty impressive to you, because come on, who doesn't admire someone who gives away their time and money for a greater cause? 

Of course, you'd ransacked your closet trying to find a suitable outfit, pleased with how you'd chosen to organize it in your new apartment. It had been time for a room change-up, as well, and moving to the new place gave you the perfect opportunity. You loved your new setup, everything was perfectly aesthetic and organized. The windows in your room and the kitchen gave lovely apartment lighting, and provided a nice cross-breeze on windy days.

Your roommate still hadn't shown, she wasn't supposed to move in for another few weeks. Not that you minded, if anything, you were thrilled to have the space to yourself. And spacious, it was. Once you'd gotten all your furniture in (including the cushy couch you'd ordered to the apartment directly), it still looked empty. This irked you quite a bit, but you knew it was characteristic of anyone living alone for the first time. You'd have to have Saeko help you decorate.

Speaking of the blonde spaz, you were supposed to go to hers after your date, to quote unquote "dish the dirty deets" on how everything went with Daichi. She hadn't been thrilled that you accepted Daichi's invitation, given your crush on Nishinoya:

"Well...what about Noya?" She had said, slightly indignant.

"What about him? Daichi asked me out on a date, not Noya." Your words might have been harsh, but it was true. Wasting time dreaming about someone unattainable wasn't worth it, not when someone else, who you could also get along well with, asks you out. The act of going out on a date wouldn't erase your feelings for Noya, but it might provide you the opportunity to branch out.

Saeko seemed stunned at that, before grumbling incoherently and crossing her arms.

"Suit yourself." 

Indeed, you would. And that was why you were sitting on the new cushy grey couch in your new apartment, all dolled up and waiting for Daichi to text you. You hadn't gone overboard or anything, just a touch of makeup and a nice dress. Part of you was actually really excited to go out on a fun date like this and chat more with the dark-haired captain. The last time you'd gone out on an actual date was over a year and a half ago, and it had been with your now-ex boyfriend.

Not to say that guys didn't ask you out every now and then since you became single, but that whole experience with your ex had been an emotional slaughter, and you hadn't been interested in putting yourself out there again. The two of you ended things on pretty crappy terms, and he ended up moving away because of it. You hadn't seen or heard from him since, and frankly, that wasn't such a bad thing.

The doorbell rang, and you jumped up to get it.

Daichi stood in front of you, a blush dusting his cheeks and a bouquet of flowers in his hand.

"I got these for you, thought they were pretty." He said, clearly nervous as he held them out to you. 

"Aw, that's so sweet, Daichi! Thank you!" They were assorted wildflowers in shades of pink and yellow, very beautiful, you had to admit. Inviting him in with a "Let me put these in water before we head out, they're so beautiful", you rushed off to the kitchen to grab your one and only vase, a clear one with vines etched in gracefully.

"When are you moving into your apartment?" You asked, making conversation as you filled the vase.

"In a week or so, hopefully!"

"Well, if you need help with anything, let me know. I really appreciate all your help a couple days ago, definitely wouldn't have been able to lift all that myself."

"Always happy to help out a beautiful woman." His flattering words made you blush, as you finished up arranging the flowers in the vase. Stepping back to admire your work, you caught Daichi's eye and smiled. 

"Ready to go?" 

You two set off for the restaurant, and you locked your apartment door behind you. Responsibility for the win! 

Luckily, the Italian place was within walking distance, and it didn't take long for you to arrive and be seated. The conversation was natural, even flowing, as you and Daichi went back and forth about various topics of interest; from his volunteer experience to your shared memories from high school. 

Everything was going rather well when Daichi brought up your ex. You'd been expecting it to come up, since the three of you were in the same class for two years.

"Have you dated much since...Ritsu?" Daichi said, somewhat awkwardly. You visibly cringed at the mention of his name, and Daichi apologized, changing the subject hastily. 

"N-No, it's alright. I just haven't heard his name in months." You said, rubbing the back of your neck and grimacing. You continued,

"But, to answer your question, I haven't gone on any dates since our breakup. It's been a while, to say the least." 

Daichi nodded, your answer confirming his thoughts. He knew how troubling the end segment of that relationship was for you, wondering every now and then if you were really okay. He'd always thought Ritsu was a little out of touch, especially when it came to you. But somehow, his distracted, persnickety self had been as appealing to you as the bowl of fettuccine alfredo you had ordered. 

Daichi remembered back when you all sat near each other in class; Ritsu would wish you, his girlfriend, good morning every day, but forget about his plans with you later. Or he'd lose track of time while off on his own, doing something or other, and forget to call. It was little things at first, and Daichi could see you forgiving each and every one of them, but it became harder as the little things got way bigger.

Forgetting to call you back turned into leaving the area for days at a time without letting you know, followed by coming back and acting like nothing happened. You would nag him at first about it, furious, but when a couple incidents over time became twelve, you began letting it go. Daichi saw the shift in your eyes, the change from blind forgiveness to cautious insecurity. And it pained him.

One day, after volleyball practice, Daichi was returning to the lockers to retrieve a textbook. He turned a corner and spotted you and Ritsu fifty meters away. Daichi perked up, about to greet the pair of you, when he quickly realized the nature of your conversation, and it wasn't good.

You were all but screaming at the lackadaisical man in front of you, who was leaning against the wall casually, arms folded and an 'are we really doing this right now?' look on his face. Even from a distance, Daichi could tell that there were no tears, it was simply dry anger. The volleyball captain turned away, embarrassed at having walked in on such an encounter, but even as he walked back the way he came, telling himself he'd grab the book later, Daichi caught snatches of what you were saying clear as day.

"- can't believe you -" 

"- where were you -"

"- how could you -"

And then you stopped speaking altogether, which made Daichi halt in his footsteps, as Ritsu interrupted you quietly. He said something Daichi couldn't catch, then a gasp from you. Curiosity piqued, Daichi couldn't have avoided peeking around the corner to watch if he'd tried. You were still, staring at the ground, as Ritsu watched you, waiting. And then...

You raised your head, face blank.

"So that's where you've been."

Ritsu nodded, making a sorry attempt at appearing guilty and failing. If anything, Ritsu looked proud of what he did. Of course there was someone else, it all made sense to you then. Clearing your throat, you prepared to speak. You only had one thing to say to him.

"I hope she was worth it." And with that last word, you walked calmly away. You didn't run, or give him the satisfaction of seeing you cry, you proudly held your own as you left. Even after you were out of sight, you didn't burst into tears dramatically. Daichi followed at a distance, not sure if he should approach and comfort you or just linger a bit in case you did something drastic.

You weren't sure where you were going, but you were going there fast. All you could was blindly stride towards something, anything, anywhere but where you just were, talking to that utter slime-ball piece of shit. You suddenly stopped, grabbing the wall beside you for support. Getting dizzy, you sat down hard, putting your head in your hands.

Daichi lingered, leaning against the wall of a close-by building, just out of sight. You stayed there for a little while, and eventually, he could see your back shaking, and knew you were finally crying. Daichi wanted to comfort you, but stayed where he was, knowing that only embarrassment would come from you realizing he had seen the entire ordeal. In the end, you pulled yourself together, stood, and walked towards the front gates alone.

Snapping back to reality, Daichi realized he was nodding along to a story you were recounting about Tanaka and Noya, that one time they over-bleached Noya's characteristic patch of blonde at the front of his head. 

"and it-" you paused in laughter, "- it was so brittle it broke, and Noya had this little cropped patch of hair for months until it finally grew out!" 

Daichi laughed along with you, watching the joy on your face. He was certain you were happier now that Ritsu was out of your life. Daichi felt strongly for you, especially since witnessing your breakup. For him, the year since that moment had been wonderful - he'd not gotten closer with you, for fear of crowding you, but rather, he watched you blossom into a healthy, unwavering person - the person you were before your relationship with Ritsu.

You had no clue that Daichi knew all of this, and he intended to keep it that way. All Daichi wanted was to be part of your life, no matter how small. Because you were...well, you. He wouldn't want it any other way.

\---

An hour or so later, you and Daichi parted ways in front of your apartment, with the promise of a second date. 

You emerged from the building minutes after entering, your overnight bag slung over your shoulder. You were still smiling from the date, somewhat excited to see him again. 

Minutes later, you locked your car and climbed the steps to Tanaka's house. Saeko was expecting you, and let out a low whistle as you stepped in.

"Daaaamn girl, get a load of you!" She practically yelled in your face, looking you up and down.

Your face went furiously red, and you punched her in the shoulder, not too hard. A skidding sound drew your attention, and two figures slid in from the other room. Tanaka, and Noya. You should've guessed he'd be here, too, but oddly, you weren't too pleased to see him. After Daichi, seeing Noya just made you confused. Maybe this whole dating thing wasn't a great idea.

The look on Nishonoya's face made you blush. He was staring, his eyes seeming to have a more intense quality to them than usual.

"Jeez, you really pulled out the stops for Daichi, huh?" Tanaka said appreciatively, also looking you up and down. You snorted. 

"Oh, this old thing? I just threw it on." You joked, gesturing at your little black dress, which hugged all the right places. The chunky heels, also black, went perfectly with it, but you kicked them off and picked them up, groaning as your feet ached.

"Dummy, why'd you drive over with those feet-killers on?" Saeko chastised you, and you glared at her.

"Ugh, shut up. Gonna go cut myself out of this tight-ass dress." You went up the stairs, giving Tanaka the finger over your shoulder as he shouted, "I can help you with that!" after you. You heard Noya punch him on the head, barking at him for saying such obscenities, and smiled to yourself.

A short while later, you hopped down the stairs into the living room, where the gang was settled in, ready to watch a movie. You'd walked into the middle of a heated argument between Tanaka and Saeko.

"I want to watch Friday the 13th!" Tanaka was screaming, face inches away from Saeko, who was equally pissed.

"Well, I want to watch Inception!" She screamed back.

Noya was uncharacteristically silent as he watched them go back and forth. Knowing him, he'd want to watch a Bond film. He'd probably been shouted over earlier, you figured. No Bond for him tonight.

"Guys, guys." You said diplomatically, approaching the two fighting siblings. They didn't even look up, they just went on screeching at each other. You raised an eyebrow, irked, and pushed your sleeves up your arms, cracking your knuckles. A swift chop to the head for each of them caused them to instantly sober.

"Hey, what gives?!" They shouted, and you rolled your eyes, flopping down to join them on the couch. 

"Let's watch something light and fun!" You said cheerfully, to which they poo-poo'd. Saeko raised her brows, face lighting up evilly.

"You never told us about your date!" She said, waggling a finger in your face. "No movie until we hear absolutely everything there is to hear about what happened." You scowled at the blonde.

"There's not much to tell, it was a fun time." You said casually, twirling your hair around your finger absentmindedly. Saeko gave you an incredulous look.

"Did he kiss you? Where'd you guys go? Are you going on a second date?" She fired off multiple questions like bullets, each one piercing your will to keep everything private and to yourself. Sighing, you mentally cursed your best friend before responding.

"No, Italian place, and yes." 

"Aw, no kiss. A second date though, awesome!" 

You rolled your eyes. Noya did too, though he out was out of your line of sight. Tanaka laughed quietly.

"Yeah, I guess." You said, still conflicted about the whole dating Daichi ordeal.

Saeko smirked.

"At least you'll be able to reach him when you guys do end up kissing. Ritsu was what, six-four? Never understood how you were able to kiss him without a portable footstool." 

You didn't know what her game was, or why she was suddenly rooting for you and Daichi, but she knew that the R-word was not to be mentioned ever again. Why was she acting so weird, bringing up things that she knew made you uncomfortable? The asswipe _cheated_ on you and broke your heart, wasn't that enough to write him out of your conversations until the end of time?

Everything went silent. Tanaka and Noya, who had been listening avidly, suddenly looked away. Of course, they knew everything about Ritsu, and your breakup. Noya looked especially angry.

"Saeko, there's no need to bring him up like that." He snapped at the blonde, whose eyes widened. You appreciated Nishinoya in that moment, despite the embarrassment you felt from the topic. Saeko seemed satisfied with that, apologizing. When Noya looked away, however, she winked at you, gesturing to her phone. You picked yours up, brows knitted together in confusion, and checked the screen. A blinking text from Saeko:

> **"Just wanted him to stand up for you. You have more of a chance with him than you think." -Saeko Killer**

Choking on your spit, you shot a glare at your best friend, who merely gave you a thumbs-up, grinning goofily. Ugh, dumbass. You sometimes wondered why you put up with this shit. At least she was on your side. 

The four of you agreed on Ratatouille, Tanaka and Saeko rather reluctantly. They weren't ones for cutesy, heartfelt Disney movies - you were. Even Noya was underwhelmed by them, but he could see the appeal, and didn't mind watching it. But these were your absolute favorites. From the second the opening French music started playing, your face lit up. Your eyes watered with unshed tears when Remy was separated from the rest of his rat-family, and you sniffled loudly.

Noya, who had been sitting right next to you, stiffened, looking over at you in concern. He relaxed when he saw you were just crying at the movie - you did this with every Disney movie. He patted your arm reassuringly, and you smiled a watery smile, squeezing his arm back as an "I'm okay". 

The movie was enchanting, as always. You laughed loudly at the funny parts, while your friends laughed more at your enthusiastic responses than at the jokes on-screen. Nishinoya actually found himself enjoying the plot of the movie; it had been a long time since he'd watched this. Though he had to admit, watching you enjoying the movie was far more rewarding than watching the movie on its own.

Your expressions were priceless, the way your mouth quirked up or pouted or opened in a gasp. It fascinated him, and he felt his heart beating quicker than normal. Was he having a heart attack? Gulping, he turned to face the TV once more, and his heart slowed to its typical beat pattern. Weird, he thought. 

Halfway through the movie, Saeko announced she'd be outside, smoking. Tanaka got up as well, joining her outside with a hard lemonade. That left yourself and Nishonoya watching Ratatouille on the couch - and while you were completely absorbed in the film, Noya found himself losing interest in it, turning to watch you once more.

 _'She has...chocolate on her face.'_ Noya observed, squinting to see better. Yes, you indeed had chocolate on your face. You'd been pigging out on those chocolate-covered pretzels Saeko buys in bulk from Trader Joe's all throughout the movie.

A closer look told Nishinoya that you also had chocolate on your hoodie. He suddenly thought back to the outfit you'd sported on your date - man, you were hot. Noya blushed, looking away from you. That had definitely gotten him going, seeing you in that little black dress. But he couldn't think of you that way - you were Saeko's best friend. Sure, you were actually a couple years younger than her, and only a year older than himself, but you guys had been close like this for years.

Noya was sure you only thought of him as a little brother, just like you did Tanaka. All those family trips you and Noya had tagged along on - day trips to places like the beach and the zoo, week-long vacations in the city, and even camping trips - probably cemented the familial perception you had of him. And, speaking of trips...

"Hey, Y/N?" 

You ripped your attention away from the TV, surprised to hear Noya interrupt the movie.

"Y-Yeah?"

"Are you coming camping with us this weekend?" By us, Noya meant himself, Saeko and Tanaka, of course. Who else?

You nodded, smiling.

"You bet! I'm so glad Saeko could get time off work to show us that cool waterfall on the coast, it's gonna be a blast!"

So you _were_ going. That made the entire trip sound even more appealing than it already did. Noya grinned, suddenly psyched up. He glanced at your face before guffawing, and you looked at him in confusion.

"O-Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you," Noya said, snickering, "you've got chocolate all over you."

The libero skillfully dodged your incoming punch, laughing harder at your comeback.

"Y-You jerk!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gotta love a little backstory, though a toxic ex-boyfriend is always the worst! Get ready for more Noya goodness, a life-changing camping trip is up next! Stay tuned, and as always, leave a comment if you feel like it ;D


	5. Chapter 5

"Ugh, kill me now." You said, dragging your feet as Saeko jerked you along.

"Don't be like that. _You're_ the one who asked _me_ to help you buy some cute stuff for your apartment! And frankly, I'm glad you did. It's been too long since I visited the mall, there's so many new things to shop for!"

You sighed, knowing your best friend would likely have spent her entire paycheck on useless things by the end of today. Still, you'd do your best to keep her from that. And really, you were glad for her company; she might be eccentric, but she had taste.

The pair of you had already ransacked six stores previous, all of which were some form of home improvement store. You'd actually found some great pieces, including a reasonably-priced coffee table (which you purchased and promptly left behind with the promise you'd come back to pick it up), patterned rug, and a couple of useful-looking side tables (to be placed at different points in the apartment). Trying not to empty your wallet, you only bought what was absolutely necessary to make your apartment seem full and lived-in. 

"Killjoy." Saeko had muttered as you walked right by some decorative pillows - far more expensive than they were worth, might you add.

"Rich people can enjoy their precious throw pillows, this broke student can't afford the luxury." You said firmly, dragging her away from the pillow section of 'Home and Bright'. That didn't stop Saeko from dragging you to every unnecessary accessory section in every store you visited, much to your dismay.

"I don't even have a job." You argued as Saeko gestured towards some pretty dish towels; they were a lovely yellow plaid color, with lemons embroidered around the outskirts. She scoffed, pulling out her wallet. Her eyes gleamed.

"Please, let me. I just can't watch as you go without so many perfectly adorable things."

A swift punch on the shoulder caused her to cry out in pain, and you dragged the blonde out of the store before she could run herself into major credit card debt. 

_'Time to take a break from shopping'_ , you thought to yourself, steering Saeko towards the food court. Snacks were something you would waste your money on any day, and all that shopping had worked up an appetite. Pushing her into a chair at an empty table, you got her order down for Pretzel Shack, as well as the promise that she wouldn't sneak off and buy those lemon-themed dish towels.

Standing in line, you took your wallet out of your purse, thumbing through the contents before securing the punch-card associated with the pretzel place; while you didn't visit the mall often (it was rather far from your guys' town), you came often enough to have a punch-card. It was almost full, too! 

_'So close to getting a free order of pretzel bites.'_ Your mouth watered at the thought of the salty, soft pretzel goodness that awaited behind the counter, behind the bored-looking cashier. 

A voice called your name, and you blinked. Could it be Saeko, coming to tell you she'd caved in and bought not only the dish towels, but the entirety of the store for your apartment? The voice shouted your name again, and you deduced it wasn't Saeko's voice. Unless she made her voice deeper to sound like a man, that is.

Turning, you gawked at the sight of the three boys walking towards you. It was Daichi, Suga, and Asahi. They were all dressed in street-wear, much to your surprise. You'd only seen them in their school and volleyball uniforms before, excluding last night's date with Daichi, to which he'd worn a pair of nice slacks and a button-up.

You blushed at seeing Daichi like this in public, but were quickly distracted by the commotion going on around the trio. Asahi was unintentionally warding off any shoppers that accidentally wandered near, and they all gave the group of boys a wide berth because of the tall student. You weren't sure if he could tell, at first, but realized he could when he cringed at the whispers from passers-by. Poor guy, he was a lovely person when you got to know him.

"It's crazy bumping into you like this." Suga said, beaming at you.

"Yeah, it's nice to see you." Daichi said, smiling kindly. Your stomach clenched anxiously, and you returned with an "It's nice seeing you too, Daichi!" 

Asahi merely waved, and you said hello, waving back.

You nearly jumped when you realized the three boys had joined you in line. Had they been planning on reaching Pretzel Shack as well? You didn't think they ate carbs, being serious athletes and all. Seeming to read your mind, Daichi laughed.

"You look confused. We love Pretzel Shack as much as the next guys, and it's alright if we eat cheat-foods every now and then." 

You flushed, not realizing your thoughts had been so transparent.

"Aha, sorry. I was a little surprised, considering your rigorous training program." You said truthfully, rubbing the back of your neck. You were suddenly self-conscious of what you were wearing; not expecting to run into anyone you knew while you were out with Saeko, you'd put on some baggy jeans and a black tee. Though, you supposed your layered necklaces provided you some element of 'put-togetherness'.

"Yeah, we're really not supposed to eat anything that can be found in the food court, but I'm sure it'll be our little secret." Suga said, winking at you and making a 'hush-hush' gesture. You giggled, nodding.

The four of you ordered, and waited off to the side for your food to be made.

"I'm actually here with Saeko. Do you wanna eat with us?" You asked, not minding the company after Saeko's antics from the past two hours. It would be a relief introducing new members to your party of two, even for a little while.

"Sure!" 

Soon, all four of you returned to the table you'd originally selected. Saeko was on her phone, and didn't notice any of you until you set your tray down loudly. Jumping, she scowled at you.

"You gave me a heart- oh, hey guys. What are you doing here?" She started off angrily but cut herself off after seeing Daichi, Suga, and Asahi.

"Just doing some shopping. Couldn't resist the soft pretzels, either." Suga said, sitting down. You handed Saeko her order of cinnamon-pretzel bites, reaching into your own bag for your plain, salted ones. She thanked you, and you smiled. Really, you had her to thank - your punch-card was finally full!

You allowed Saeko and the boys to chat a while, keeping quiet as you munched on your snack. Exhaustion from the day crept into you the longer you sat, resting. You started zoning out, and your eyelids felt heavy. 

"Not falling asleep, are you?" 

Opening your eyes, you saw Daichi smiling at you. 

"No." You said, a small smile curving at the edge of your mouth. 

"Maybe our second date could be a nap." He said, winking. You almost choked on your spit, face going deep-red. You burst into a coughing fit, trying to compose yourself. Saeko, Suga, and Asahi looked at you in concern, not having heard what Daichi said. Saeko patted your back forcefully to help with the coughing.

"H-Hey, are you alright?" Asahi asked, and you nodded. 

"I'm g-good." You choked out, clearing your throat. Daichi smirked in a very un-Daichi-like way; you hadn't seen him so devious before in your life, and it somewhat shocked you. It wasn't a bad thing, but you couldn't help but think of Nishinoya, who was always rather devious no matter the circumstance.

Now, if Noya asked you to nap with him, you didn't think you could say no. Your cheeks went pink as the others continued conversing, but Daichi was still looking at you, amusement in his eyes. 

"I was joking, of course. I thought we could go to the aquarium next time." 

"Ooh, that would be really fun! We should." You said, smiling back at him. Daichi was quite handsome, you noticed as you looked at him. Not that you hadn't known it before, but he really was attractive. It was really flattering having him interested in you, and it was true you'd noticed the jealous looks from other women at that Italian place that night you'd gone on your first date. 

A few minutes later, you checked the time. Gasping and standing up, you shook Saeko, apologizing to the boys for interrupting.

"It's nearly four, we're running late. Won't be able to make our campsite reservation." You said, gathering up everyone's trash. Daichi looked at you fondly, appreciating the way you cleared the table for all of them, even when most of it wasn't even your own trash. It was considerate of you.

"A-Ah, shit, you're right!" Saeko checked her phone and instantly became as flustered as you, grabbing her bag.

"You guys are going camping?" Suga asked.

"Yeah, we're going for the weekend! Tanaka and Noya are coming, too!" You said, beaming. 

"The four of you are pretty tight, huh? Two pairs of best friends and all." Suga said, laughing. You and Saeko protested, but it was true. You guys did a lot of things together, always hanging out and going on adventures. It was a wonder you all hadn't gotten sick of each other yet. You supposed there was just a good dynamic between you all.

"Anyway, sorry to rush off like this, but if we don't see each other beforehand, we'll see you at the next game to cheer on Karasuno!" You said, giving them a thumbs-up. 

The pair of you ran towards the store you'd left your purchased furniture items at, and your mood dampened at the thought of one of said items being a full-ass coffee table. Saeko could probably handle the rug and picture frames, you'd deal with the table. 

On the way out, you received many strange looks, but true enough, you and Saeko were holding your own. The coffee table, heavy as it was, didn't touch the ground once on your watch, though you nearly collapsed after loading it into Saeko's van.

"I...should've called Daichi." You gasped from your position on the floor, breathing hard. "He could've lifted that, easy."

"Weakling. You did just fine on your own." Saeko said, pulling you up.

"And what was that about you taking a nap with Daichi?" Her words made you gasp. 

"You heard that?!" 

"I'm pretty sure Suga and Asahi did, too. You two were sitting maybe a foot away from us. Pervs." 

You punched her shoulder, face boiling red. How embarrassing. Of course Suga and Asahi didn't say anything, they were too nice. You were just glad Saeko hadn't brought it up until you two had left, you would've been positively mortified trying to diffuse a situation like that.

"Ugh, let's just go." You said, clambering into the passenger seat.

Saeko chuckled, turning the ignition. You paused, before speaking.

"And don't say anything about that to Noya. Please." 

"No promises, pervert."

\---

You two dumped (more like carefully placed) the furniture in your apartment, arranging it in a general formation before racing back to the van.

The boys were waiting on the front steps when you arrived at the Tanakas' dwelling, looking agitated.

"You were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!" Tanaka yelled, tapping his wrist. They had all their bags and gear with them on the porch, while all of yours was already in the back. Saeko snickered.

"Sorry, got caught up at the mall talking to Daichi." 

You glared at the blonde, resisting the urge to clobber her so that she wouldn't have the opportunity to say anything more. But Noya's interest had been piqued, and he rushed over, dumping his things in the back before climbing in the backseat.

"What was Daichi doing at the mall?" He asked, an edge to his voice. Tanaka joined a moment later, buckling his seatbelt.

"He was with Suga and Asahi, too. They were shopping." You said firmly before Saeko could open her mouth. 

"Bu-u-u-ut," Saeko started, "they especially stopped so that they could eat soft pretzels with us. Probably because of Y/N."

Taking the bait, Nishinoya asked, "Why would they stop because of Y/N?"

Tanaka rolled his eyes at the libero.

"Because of Daichi, idiot. They _did_ go on a date."

"Don't remind me." Noya mumbled, and your ears pricked up. Had you just heard that correctly?

You were about to turn in your seat to ask exactly what that meant, but Saeko started driving, barking at you to start navigating the directions and shoving a paper map in your face. Grumbling, you unfolded it and gawked at the 'map'. 

"Th-This is covered in Sharpie! How the hell am I supposed to read it?" You yelled at your best friend, who scowled at you from the side. It was true, random squiggles and arrows littered the pastel greens and blues of the map. 

"Come on, you've never read Ryu's map before? He altered it himself! It works much better now!" Saeko shouted back at you, merging onto the freeway. So _Tanaka_ was responsible for the defilement of this map. 

"Why can't _he_ figure out the directions then?" You countered, looking back at the already-snoozing, bald second-year. Sighing, Saeko massaged her temple before making a move to pull over abruptly.

"WE'RE ON THE FREEWAY, SAEKO!" You screamed as she swerved through three lanes to make it to the shoulder, grabbing the little safety bar that's usually reserved for worrying parents and older people. Cars swerved and honked at you guys left and right, as you nearly hit multiple vehicles but miraculously missed. Your screeching woke up Tanaka, who was informed he would be taking over as the navigator by a pissed-off Saeko.

"So, you've been demoted." Nishonoya said sagely to you, pulling out an earbud. You now sat next to him, trying to avoid eye contact with the furious blonde in the driver's seat. 

"Thank God for it, have you _seen_ that map?" You said, relieved to be in the back.

"Yeah, Tanaka's tried to teach me how to read it, but it's impossible. Only he and Saeko can understand it." 

"Psychos. Who scribbles Sharpie all over a perfectly good map?" You muttered.

"What was that?! Do I need to pull over again and beat some sense into you?!"

"N-NO, WE'RE ALL GOOD!" 

Sheesh, you forgot how scary Saeko could be when she embarked on a long drive. This crazy attitude must come from a place of love, but she didn't have to be so abrasive. Nishonoya laughed at your terrified expression, putting his earbud back in.

"H-Hey, what are you listening to?" You asked, curious.

"Just some eighties music. Wanna listen with me?" Noya said, grinning at you and offering an earbud. You nodded, scooting closer and placing the earbud comfortably in your ear. The sound of Don Henley's 'The Boys of Summer' filled your ears, and you grinned. A classic.

Getting comfortable, you smiled serenely at the music. This one was one of your favorites. You felt your eyelids getting heavy again; you supposed the adrenaline from earlier was starting to wear off, but there wasn't really a great way to sleep peacefully in a car. You found yourself dozing off anyway, head falling forwards before snapping up every three seconds. Nope, not the most efficient mode of rest.

Nishinoya, observing this, smirked as your head bobbed ridiculously.

"You can sleep on my shoulder, if you want." He offered before he even thought it through, blushing in surprise at his words. _'Good job weirding her out.'_ he thought to himself, cringing at his invitation.

"I..." You deliberated in your head for a split second, not accepting right away. Was this alright? Every part of you was urging you to accept and relish in the feeling of laying your head on his shoulder and succumbing to sleep, but you still hesitated. 

_'He's just being a good friend. Yeah, that's it. It couldn't hurt to accept this kind of favor from a friend, right?'_

Your exhaustion decided for you, in the end, and you rested your head on his shoulder, getting comfortable. It's alright, you thought to yourself. _'Besides, this way I won't fall asleep at the wheel when I take over driving for Saeko later.'_ Your heart pounded at being so close to the brunette libero. The familiar smell of cinnamon filled your nose, and you smiled. Noya.

"Smell nice." You muttered quietly to yourself, and Nishinoya's cheeks heated up as he caught what you said.

Man, you really made him crazy sometimes. His stomach was going wild with butterflies already at having your cheek on his shoulder, but this was almost too much for him. Taking a deep breath, he focused on the music at hand, which had switched from Don Henley to Meat Loaf.

Ah, crap, it was _Paradise by the Dashboard Light_. This song was basically all about boning in the back of a car, there was no way he could listen to this right now. Raising his hand unconsciously to change the song, he gulped when he found your arm snake around the arm he'd just moved. You mumbled dreamily, fast asleep. 

_'I guess I can suffer through this song, it's actually super iconic.'_ Noya thought, not wanting to disturb your position, and trying to settle in once more. The feeling of your arm holding his was so natural, and yet it gave him tingles all throughout his body. You were, thankfully, not conscious to witness all of this, you'd fallen asleep even before the song changed.

Relaxing, Nishinoya leaned his head to rest on the top of yours comfortably. He closed his eyes, and soon fell asleep.

\---

"Wake up, lovebirds!" Tanaka shouted in your ear, causing you to jerk away and bump heads with Nishinoya.

"Oww." You both groaned, blinking blearily and rubbing your heads. You muttered a sleep-ridden 'sorry' to the boy, raising yourself off his shoulder and flushing when you saw how closely the two of you had been as you were asleep.

Wiggling out of the car, you leapt to the ground. You stretched, a huge yawn escaping your mouth. Tanaka punched you on the shoulder, snickering.

"Jeez, you guys were practically on top of each other. Don't let Daichi see that." You glared at Tanaka, punching him back.

"Shut up." You shot back, though you couldn't help but let a grin slip onto your face. You had just cuddled with Nishinoya, the guy you've been crushing on for the last year and a half. It had been so comfy, too, you forgot how warm he was. Because seriously, with Noya it could be below freezing point and the guy wouldn't wear a jacket, and only reluctantly wear long pants. He was like a human heater.

Taking a look at your surroundings, you were confused to see you were at the campsite. Trees surrounded the van, but you could hear the rushing sound of a waterfall in the not-so-distant distance. Saeko was nowhere to be seen. You turned to face Tanaka, confusion written all over your face.

"Um? We're already here?" Your voice made Tanaka laugh, and he pointed at the open front door of the van. You glanced over, eyes widening when you saw the contents. Seven or eight empty energy drink cans littered the floor.

"Yeah, we stopped halfway through the drive as planned, so you could take over. But you and Noya were dead-asleep, and Saeko thought it was 'too precious', so she busted out the energy drinks early."

 _'Gee, that was really nice of her.'_ You thought to yourself, but the question of where the blonde currently was still lingered.

"Where _is_ Saeko?" 

"Yeah, did she run off?" Noya had circled the van and now stood next to you guys, still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Tanaka grimaced.

"She bolted in the direction of the manager's building the second we parked. Knowing how much caffeine is pumping through her system, and knowing that she didn't eat a thing all day, she could very well be puking her guts out in the middle of the woods as we speak."

"Well, she has her phone, right?" You asked, and Tanaka pointed your gaze back to the van, this time to the driver's seat. Her pink cell phone lay there, dejected and still. 

You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. Just great.

"Alright, I'm gonna bring her back. You guys have your cell phones?" 

They nodded, showing you their blinking phone screens. 

"Okay. Don't run off and get lost, stay right here at the van and guard the stuff. If I don't come back-" 

"-what the hell do you mean 'if you don't come back'?" Tanaka said, cackling, "we're like ten minutes away from the nearest town. This isn't exactly the middle of nowhere."

You rolled your eyes, chuckling at your foolishness

"A good point. Now where did Saeko run off to?"

Tanaka pointed out the general direction, and you said a last farewell before darting into the woods, leaving the two boys by the van, staring after you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't @ me about the foreshadowing with the whole 'napping with Noya' scenario :D Lots of love, stay tuned for further camping fun!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter disclaimer: *underage usage of cannabis is ahead, if you're over 18, you may proceed. if you're not, or you feel uncomfortable with the topic, scroll to the end to view the chapter summary i've included.  
> *this chapter acts as a second part to the previous chapter

The woods weren't as thick as you'd initially perceived, much to your relief. You were able to make your way through the trees at a jog, without taking too much care. The occasional tree root stuck out, but your eyes had adjusted to the bleak lighting, and you avoided them, for the most part.

 _'Of course she had to go and run off when it got super dark,'_ You thought, cursing the darkness. Night had settled a little while ago, while you four were still driving here. Part of you worried that you wouldn't find her, or you were going in the wrong direction, or Tanaka and Noya might be in trouble back at the van.

Just to be safe, you stopped in your tracks. You pulled out your cell and dialed a number, raising the device to your ear.

"Did you find her?" The voice said worriedly from the other side.

"Not yet, Tanaka. Just wanted to make sure I had service out here. It's so dark, and I'm not finding the manager's building anywhere."

A deep sigh on the other end.

"Alright, don't get yourself lost." It sounded like he was getting ready to hang up, when you heard a voice speaking indistinctly on the other end. You heard Tanaka say "fine", and then a different voice, equally concerned, was speaking to you.

"Hey, are you alright?! I should've gone with you, it's pitch black out there!" 

You smiled at Nishinoya's words. He sounded agitated, but you were glad he cared about you. It made your heart feel all warm and fuzzy.

"I'm perfectly fine, Yuu. Not having the best luck finding Saeko, but I must be close to the manager's building by now. If she's not there, I'll have some of the rangers help us."

"O-Okay, as long as you're alright. Be careful, okay? I'm going to call you in ten minutes if you haven't called us by then."

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks for worrying, I'll get Saeko pronto. Bye." 

You hung up, suddenly listening hard around you. Nothing but the sound of wind rustling leaves and the waterfall rushing in the distance; it seemed farther than before, which meant you probably were close to the manager's building.

Setting off at a jog, you went about fifty meters before hearing a familiar heaving sound: Saeko! You only stopped for a moment to pinpoint the location of the sound, and then you tore towards the sound. There she was! The blonde woman was huddled over a bush, tossing her cookies. You started to yell her name, but tripped on an outstretched tree root halfway through, so the sound went a little like this:

"Sae-AHHH!" 

You hit the ground, hard. Pain radiated through your body, and you groaned in pain. 

"Fuuuuck." You moaned, rolling onto your back and sitting up. You were sure you'd have some hearty bruises when morning came.

"Y/N? Is that you? Are you screaming?" You heard a pitiful voice say, followed by the sounds of more heaving.

Leaping to your feet, you closed the distance between yourself and Saeko, patting her back as she puked.

"Yeah, it's me. Man, we were worried. Who the fuck tears off into the woods like that?!" You chastised her, smacking her on the back of the head lightly. She just groaned, and after a minute or two, straightened up, wiping her mouth.

"I feel like shit." She said.

"You look the part." You responded, pulling out your phone and dialing Noya's number.

He picked up after the first ring, with a "Ohmygodpleasetellmeyou'realiveandthisisn'tsomeonewhofoundyourbodycallingmefromyourphone". You blinked, suddenly feeling incredulous. It had been a total of one minute since you'd hung up on the boy.

"Dummy, it's me. I found Saeko, though I'm not sure how to get back." You said, looking at your surroundings and realizing you truly didn't know where the hell you were.

"Oh, thank God. I thought you were a goner!" Drama queen. "Let me get Tanaka on the phone."

"You guys are okay?" You heard Tanaka's voice on the phone.

"Yeah, we're good. She was puking, just like you figured."

"Shocker. Can you guys find your way back?"

"...Not really. I have no idea where we are."

"I'll guide you back using GPS. I put a tracker on your phone way back when."

Your eyes practically bulged at that last piece of information.

"I'm sorry, you put a TRACKER on my phone? Since when?!"

Tanaka sighed. The cat had been let out of the bag.

"Since that one time you ran off and got lost in that amusement park on vacation. Remember, it took six hours to find you?" 

"THAT WAS THREE YEARS AGO!" You roared, completely mortified at the lack of privacy you realized you had. Unbeknownst to you, the loud volume of your voice caused the Tanaka to draw the phone away from his ear for a split second, and Noya chuckled when he heard you yell.

Returning the phone to his ear, Tanaka just laughed at your rage, saying it was worth it considering he could use it to guide you and Saeko back to the van. You took a deep breath.

"You're right. Tell us the way to go, and I'll consider not strangling you on sight."

He started giving you directions, and I helped guide Saeko through the trees, pausing every now and then so she could rest. Tanaka may be unusual when it came to mapping techniques, but at least he could give decent directions. Perhaps twenty minutes after starting back, you were back at the van, safe and sound (for the most part) but guiding a woozy Saeko along.

The boys had set up electric lanterns while you two had been away, hanging them from the van and illuminating the area. They'd also set up the tents, much to your relief. After this crap, you'd need a lifetime of rest. But their expressions when they finally got a glimpse of you two were full of nothing but concern.

"What?" You asked, self-conscious.

Noya marched up to you, gesturing at your body. You looked down, blanching.

"Aw, no. These are my favorite jeans." You whined, seeing the damage. You were covered in dirt, probably from the fall. Your pants were ripped, and it was clear there were scratches up and down your arms from the trees.

Saeko grunted, stepping forward suddenly.

"Alright, pal. Let's get you in the tent and fix you up a little bit." You said, leading her to the orange tent. That was the one you'd be sharing with the blonde, while Noya and Tanaka's would be sharing the green tent, only a couple meters away. Part of you wanted the tents to be right next to each other, for safety.

Saeko groaned when you sat her down in the tent, and you looked at the boys from inside.

"I'm gonna put her to bed, be out in a minute." 

"Alright, we'll start a fire."

Your best friend had started falling asleep by the time you zipped up the tent and turned back to her, and you sighed.

"Come on, pal, let's get you out of these puke-y clothes. Let's get some jammies on, then you can go to sleep." You said gently, helping her change into sweats and a tee. She was pretty out of it, and you were sure she'd be dehydrated the next day.

"Alright, before you go to sleep, you have to drink all of this. You lost a whole lot of fluids today." You sat in front of her and waited as she drank down the water bottle you handed her, if not rather reluctantly. Once she downed the whole thing, you helped set up your sleeping bags before tucking her into hers.

"Do you feel nauseous?" You asked, and she shook her head, eyes closed.

"Okay, if you wake up and need to eat, I've left some trail mix by your sleeping bag, and another bottle of water. Drink that when you next wake up, you hear me?" 

She nodded, eyes still closed. 

"I'm going to be outside with Ryu and Yuu. You get some rest, okay? Let me know if you need anything." 

She nodded, and you exited the tent, bringing your electric lantern with you so the tent was doused in darkness. Zipping it back up, you turned to face a bright campfire. Four soccer-mom chairs were set around it, and you grinned at the boys, who already occupied two of them.

"Nice, guys." You sat next to Noya, sinking into the chair and rubbing your temples.

"I don't think we've ever seen you look after Saeko like that. We've only seen her take care of you." Noya said, newfound respect in his eyes. You raised a brow, not sure if that was an insult or not.

"It's definitely not the first time. I need a fucking drink."

Tanaka shook his head, eyeing your cuts and bruises. You'd changed into pajama shorts and a top, leaving your legs exposed to the blood-thirsty mosquitos.

"No, what you need is some hydrogen peroxide, bug spray, and a blunt."

He stood and walked to the van, no doubt to retrieve all of the aforementioned items. Nishinoya was still looking at you, with that same look in his eye. He seemed in awe, but you couldn't think of why. You were used to looking at him like that, not the other way around.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" You asked plainly, and he jumped.

"W-Well, I guess it's just...really cool how you ran into the woods to rescue your best friend like that." 

You shrugged, noticing the blush on his cheeks and feeling confused by it. 

"Nothing to it. I'd do the same for you or Tanaka, and I'm sure you all would do the same for me." 

"Of course we would!" He said immediately, his voice charged. 

There was a brief silence, and you enjoyed it, closing your eyes. You could hear Tanaka rummaging through the gear in the back of the van, no doubt searching for the stash of substances Saeko had hidden so well. 

"Hey, Y/N?" Noya spoke, but you kept your eyes closed.

"Yeah?" 

"...would you do it for Daichi?"

That caused you to open an eye, looking right at Nishinoya. You raised an eyebrow, too.

"What do you mean?"

He paused, before blurting, "Do you _really_ like him?" 

Part of you wanted to laugh, part of you wanted to cry. He sounded like a kid asking a grown-up if the monster under his bed _really_ wasn't there. He also wouldn't look at you, his eyes fixed on the dirt floor in front of him.

You pulled your legs to your chest, focusing on him. 

What were you supposed to say? _'I like Daichi, but not like I like you. Actually, the reason I went out with him in the first place was so I could forget about my feelings for you.'_ Yeah, that wouldn't cut it.

"Well..." You started, trying to find the right words to both express what you felt but also cover your ass so you didn't end up confessing your undying love for the libero right then and there. Words clouded your mind, and you were overrun with varying thoughts of what you could possibly say.

_'Honey, no one could compare to you.'_

_'You see, he's actually the love of my life.'_

_'I mean, how could I really like him?'_

_'It's just...complicated.'_

That last one pissed you off, and you shook your head to clear it of all intruding thoughts. 

"I think he's a great guy, and that it would be worth getting to know him." You finally said, and you were happy with it. It was true, though you didn't include anything about your actual feelings for Nishinoya anywhere in there.

Noya nodded, as though he expected it.

"That's fair. He's an awesome captain."

Inside, Nishinoya was a turbulent whirl. He was frustrated with himself for saying that Daichi was awesome, even if it was true. He didn't need to add fuel to this shitstorm that was you and Daichi. It was already proof that nothing romantic could happen between _himself_ and you, and that hurt him beyond belief. Man, he just wanted to hold you and tell himself that you wanted him, too.

Gulping, the libero looked back at you. You were already gazing at him.

"Why do you ask?" You finally said, looking into Nishinoya's fiery eyes. Ah, the dreaded question.

"I...guess it's just weird seeing you with him." He said, saving face and looking away. Your face was blank as you took in his words. Not the answer you were looking for, but you supposed you shouldn't have been expecting a confession.

"Y-Yeah, that makes sense. Considering he's your captain and everything. But...that doesn't have to mean anything's going to change, we're still best friends." You said reassuringly, reaching over to squeeze his arm. The smile you gave Noya nearly melted his heart, and he flushed in embarrassment. 

"What's going on with you guys? Seriously, it's like I'm gone for one second and you're all over each other." 

Tanaka's voice ripped you two out of your conversation, and you pulled your arm back from Noya's, giving Tanaka the stinkeye.

"Don't worry about it." Noya said, laughing. The mood lightened as Tanaka splashed hydrogen peroxide on your arms, wiping at them with a cloth as you gritted your teeth.

"You suck." You hissed as he went in with the peroxide once more, cleaning everything out efficiently. 

"You know you love me." He said, winking at you. He then handed you the bug spray, before going to work on some nasty scrapes on your knees from earlier. You started spraying yourself, wincing as the pain from your knees informed you he'd begun. 

After finally pulling away and standing up, you mock-held your heart, putting on a simpering expression.

"Oh, Doctor Tanaka, what would I have done without you?" 

"Probably died." He said, flipping you off as he set the items down. You giggled, rolling your eyes. He turned back to face you, however, with a gleam in his eye and an unlit joint in his outstretched hand.

You accepted, and he chucked a lighter into your lap before returning to his soccer-mom chair and procuring another weed-stick, no doubt for himself and Noya to share.

"Best doctor on the planet." He grinned at your words, flicking the lighter on.

You guys didn't usually light up unless it was on trips like these, save for the occasional sesh at Tanaka's. You understood the potential negative consequences that came with smoking weed, but in comparison to all the other crap you'd have resorted to without the substance, you didn't mind them. Just like drinking, there was a lot of risk involved if you took it too far or did something stupid.

Besides, having all your work done and being able to sit back and relax with a joint was a feeling unlike any other. It was the satisfying exhaustion of hard work paired with a calming sensation, the lowering of inhibitions a pleasant addition.

Flicking on your lighter, you raised the joint to your lips and taking a puff. You truly earned this, after crashing through the woods to find Saeko. Taking the smoke deep into your lungs, you smiled at Nishinoya before you slowly blew it out. Throat itching, you resisted the urge to cough, taking a drink of water instead.

"It's pretty damn quiet." Tanaka suddenly said, the moment he'd blown out his own cloud of smoke. Passing the joint to Noya, the bald man got up once more to retrieve Saeko's portable speaker from the trunk of the van. 

The libero took a long drag from the smoking blunt, his face softening as he looked at you looking at him.

You raised your own once more, and took another drag without hesitation, raking your free hand through your hair.

"Man." You said, expelling the smoke with ease. 

"I'm really glad we made it." You followed up, laughing as you felt your hands and feet start to tingle. Nishinoya laughed as well, and you found that neither of you could stop, nor wanted to. It was such a sweet sound, hearing Noya laugh. Ironically, he was thinking the same about you, though there was no possible way you could know that.

"What the hell is wrong with you two giggling clowns?" Tanaka had come back from the van, holding a blue speaker. He set it up and connected his phone, and soon enough, a soft tune played through the air. 

_'Lo-fi,'_ you thought appreciatively, laying your head back. Nishinoya was looking at you, but you were looking right up at the sky.

"It's so pretty, don't you think?" Your words ripped Noya's gaze from your face to what you were looking at, and his lips parted. 

"Stars." He said, smiling.

"They are pretty, aren't they?" Tanaka said, retrieving the shortened joint from Noya.

The three of you sat there, admiring the stars, for a very long time. It wasn't until the smoke was out and the stubs were kicked to the side that you thought about anything other than that great, big sky; all of the stars glowing so brilliantly, it made a very nice view, and it offered some semblance of clarity, even in your clouded state of mind.

"I'm really glad we made it." You said once more, and Nishinoya knew your meaning was deeper than the camping trip. He almost felt like you were speaking right to him, saying that you were really glad that you and he had made it to this point. That you were glad to be with him right now. Maybe you were, maybe you weren't. 

The look in your eye, though, as you gazed at the sky, rendered him completely speechless.

This was the moment Nishinoya truly fell in love with you; the child-like crush he'd had before evolving into something far more passionate, and real. 

Now, everything felt real.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief Chapter Summary:
> 
> Y/N finds Saeko, who was, indeed, puking in a bush. They make their way back to the campsite with the help of Tanaka, but Y/N doesn't escape without many, many scratches and a few scrapes from tripping on a tree root and falling on her face. 
> 
> Tanaka patches Y/N up with hydrogen peroxide and a blunt, simply put. Nishinoya and Y/N talk about Daichi, and Noya realizes his true jealousy towards his captain for dating Y/N.


	7. Chapter 7

The sun beat down on you, and sweat dripped down your forehead.

You grunted as you continued to slowly shuffle from the van to the picnic table, which wasn't too far from your tents. The daylight provided the four of you with a much better look at your campsite, and it wasn't too shabby. A little clearing in the woods, with a path leading off towards the featured waterfall. 

Saeko had promised to bring you guys there later that day. She'd made a decent recovery, though she was rather burnt out after last night's events. 

"Drink this." You found yourself saying every hour, shoving a new water bottle in her face every time.

"I don't want to." She whined after the third time you approached, and you glowered, smacking her on the head and practically forcing the water bottle into her arms. There was no way your friend would be dehydrated on your watch. 

Tanaka and Nishinoya had embarked on a hike earlier that day, promising to help with lunch when they got back. All four of you were pretty gross already, but you couldn't imagine how nasty the boys would smell after going on a hike through the forest in this kind of weather. It was lucky the woods provided clever little pockets of shade at every turn.

You finally reached the picnic table, dropping the heavy fruit you'd been carrying onto it with a 'thud'. You smirked, reaching for the shining knife you'd placed to the side earlier. The gigantic, green melon was motionless, and you sized it up. Saeko would certainly prefer hydrating from a juicy watermelon than from the bottles you kept shoving at her.

You rammed the knife into the dead center of the watermelon, the sound satisfying as it sunk in deep. Cracking it in two, the fresh smell of the fruit filled the air. Man, watermelon was the best.

Saeko came strolling out of the woods to your right, zipping up her pants and giving you the stink-eye.

"Thanks for making me have to pee every ten minutes."

"You're welcome for keeping you hydrated." You countered as you sliced up the watermelon, filling a bowl and offering it to her. 

"To be fair, I only did all that so you could nap with Yuu." She accepted gratefully, starting to munch on the sweet fruit.

You rolled your eyes.

"I appreciate the thought, but don't kill yourself trying to get us together." 

She let out a hearty laugh, and you cracked a smile yourself. 

\---

Meanwhile, Tanaka and Nishinoya had strayed pretty far from the campsite, and currently were trying to figure out the best way back. 

"We've been out here for so long, I'm starved." Noya said, stomach grumbling in confirmation. He groaned, rubbing his belly. The pair had long since drained the bottles of water they'd taken with them, and were now panting from the heat as they tramped through the trees and bushes.

"It's all good, we'll be there in two minutes."

"You said that two minutes ago!" 

Tanaka muttered something incoherent under his breath. He had long since taken his shirt off, and had fashioned it into a hat to protect him from the glaring sun that poked holes through the leafy canopy. 

After a few more minutes of wrestling through the underbrush, Nishinoya's nose caught a whiff of something that smelled delicious: hot dogs. It must be hot dogs, he told himself, mouth watering. Maybe it was a hallucination, but it was a better lead than Tanaka bumbling around.

"Follow me." He said, darting off in the direction of the smell. He crashed through the bushes, not caring how loud he was being, his only desire being to reach the source. Tanaka jogged to keep up, and he almost lost Noya a few times, but spotted him further up ahead every time.

Finally, Nishinoya burst into a clearing, and looked around wildly. 

"N-Noya?" It was your voice, off to his left. Glancing over there, his jaw dropped. 

You and Saeko had not only started a fire, but were currently cooking hot dogs over it. And off to the side on the picnic table, a huge bowl of cut-up watermelon rested, along with a bowl of chips and several cold drinks. This must be heaven, Noya thought to himself, especially when he got a look at you.

You were slightly sweaty, which was rather attractive to the bouncy libero. There was something pink spilled all over the front of your white shirt, though, and Noya came closer out of curiosity, head cocking to the side.

"What happened to your shirt?" He asked.

"O-Oh, I went a little overboard with the watermelon." You said, smiling sheepishly and rubbing the back of your neck. 

"It was a brutal slaughter." Saeko chimed in, stoking the fire a few feet away.

Noya's mind went right to the gutter; visions of you (shirtless of course), going to town chopping at that watermelon, the juice dripping all over your bare skin, sliding down your cleavage - NO! He mentally slapped himself, fighting a hot blush.

"U-Uh..." was all he could manage, and you laughed at his odd expression.

"I'm just gonna change into fresh clothes after the waterfall, it's pretty remote so we're able to bathe there." You said helpfully. Noya nodded, realizing how sweaty he was; it would be nice to clean off. Before he could say anything more to redeem himself, Tanaka walked into the clearing, shirtless and sweaty.

"Y-You left me out there." He gasped, doubling over. "I've never seen you run so fast in your life."

Now it was Nishinoya's turn to look sheepish.

"Sorry, Tanaka. I smelled food." 

Speaking of, the libero's stomach growled even louder than before. Saeko smacked him on the back, saying the words all three of you were desperate to hear.

"Let's dig in!"

The four of you sat down to lunch with the promise of a cool shower at the waterfall after. Hard lemonades were drank, potato chips were consumed, and the four of you chattered excitedly about the prospects of the day. Saeko was animatedly describing how amazing the waterfall was, and Tanaka was nodding along. You munched on watermelon and laughed along with them, though you found it was hard to keep your eyes off Nishinoya.

The man was on his third hot dog, and he didn't look like he was going to slow down anytime soon. You were always impressed by his appetite, as it took so much food to actually satiate him. When you were out with him getting food, waiters and food vendors would cringe at the sight of him ordering a fifth plate of food, and it always made you laugh.

Incidentally, the weather hadn't gotten any cooler since you'd sat down, and by the time you'd all finished, you were even hotter than before. Saeko fanned herself, and you closed your eyes, ready to sink into a food coma.

"Last one to the falls is a rotten egg!" Your eyes opened just in time to see Nishinoya rip his shirt off, sprinting down the dirt path towards the waterfall. Tanaka let out a barking laugh before following, and Saeko sighed, standing and walking to the tents.

"They forgot towels." She procured four, shoving them in your arms along with a bar of soap. 

"I'll catch up with clean clothes, be careful on the way down." Saeko said, smiling as she walked into the boys' tent, waving behind her for me to go on. You shrugged, walking down the dirt path to catch up with Tanaka and Noya.

The sound of the waterfall got louder and louder as you approached, the mist cooling you as you got closer. Your eyes widened as you turned a corner and spotted the falls, the boys two little specks in comparison to its sheer size. They were splashing in the river the waterfall dumped into, and you smiled at the sight. 

You settled all but one of the towels on a clean-looking rock, taking off your shoes. The specks had spotted you, and were waving earnestly. You waved back, going to join them. The cool water of the river made you realize just how hot and sweaty you felt, and the urge to strip came over you suddenly. 

"H-Hey, guys, I'm gonna go closer to the falls and take a shower. I'll be back in a bit." You said, holding up the soap and towel to show them. They didn't hear you, continuing to splash each other ferociously. Rolling your eyes, you left. Rude.

It would be nice to shower, you thought as you strolled down the river bank, the sound of rushing water getting louder and louder as you approached. 

Your walk to the base of the falls was a short one, it actually wasn't too far from everything. Trees and large, flat leaves provided a good cover from anyone onlooking, you found as you stepped behind the falls themselves. It was actually a perfect place to shower, you couldn't be seen unless someone came right up next to the waterfall. You paused to take your clothes off, settling them off to the side with your dry towel. Maybe later you could wash them in the river, lay them out to dry in the sun.

Fully naked, you took hold of the soap and stepped into the waterfall. The water was chilly, and you sighed in appreciation, the cold water a relief against your heated skin. Truthfully, all you guys brought to wash up with was the bar of soap, though thankfully, you all remembered body spray. No smelly folks here.

You suds-ed up the bar of soap, setting it to the side and beginning to wash yourself. It was rather relaxing, the private atmosphere the waterfall provided. 

Nishinoya, who was further down the bank, splashing around with Tanaka, suddenly stopped, looking to the river bank with a questioning look.

"Where'd Y/N go?" He asked, and Tanaka thought to himself.

"Didn't she say something about checking out the waterfall?" The bald man asked, and Nishonoya snapped his fingers.

"That's it! Yeah, she went to go look at it. I think I'll catch up with her, make sure she didn't get lost."

Tanaka gave him an incredulous look.

"Y/N is a capable woman, she's got loads of experience with the world. I doubt she needs your help."

Nishinoya huffed, crossing his arms.

"Still, it couldn't hurt to check on her."

Tanaka shrugged.

"Alright, suit yourself. I'll be here."

And with that, Nishinoya skipped down the bank, towards the huge waterfall. He didn't doubt your capabilities in the slightest, but since last night, when you'd gotten all scraped up running after Saeko, he just found it easier to double-check your safety, for his own peace of mind. 

He felt a cool mist from the falls on his torso and face as he got closer, smiling at the feeling. Nishinoya had left his shirt back with Tanaka, but being comfortable with his own body, he didn't really mind. His gym shorts remained, and he trudged past the shielding trees that lay at the foot of the falls, wondering where you'd gone off to.

"Where could she be?" Noya muttered to himself, looking this way and that. He saw the falls themselves, and then a small gap behind them. Grinning, he realized it was possible to slip behind the waterfall through a narrow passage. How awesome! 

He eagerly charged behind the waterfall, and screamed when he bumped full-force into a solid body, which went sprawling onto the rocky ground, yelping in pain from the contact.

Steadying himself, Nishinoya looked at the body in front of him. In the next two seconds, his eyes told him two things: one, that body was you, and two, you were naked. 

"Ow ow ow ow," you whimpered, holding your wrist with your other hand as you lay on the ground. Nishonoya felt a trickle of something wet on his face, sliding down his chin. Swiping his hand across his face, he saw it come up with blood. 

Hardly caring that his nose was bleeding, Noya stared at your naked body, not even registering that you were in pain. When you finally looked up and saw who your attacker was, you let out a piercing scream. This shook Nishinoya out of his stupor, and he jumped a full meter away from you in surprise.

"FUCK, NOYA!" You tried getting to your feet, but stumbled. Nishinoya rushed to your side, helping you up, trying to ignore the fact that you were still butt-naked. Concern coursed through his veins, and he felt intense guilt from knocking you over.

"Are you okay? Did you hit your head? Are you hurt?" He rattled question after question, and you winced before shoving him away and covering your bare body as best you could with your arms.

"I'm fine. Please go get Saeko." You seethed through gritted teeth, and the libero nodded furiously, shooting off and out of sight as he went to get help. You took deep breaths, checking your body for damage. Great blooms of black and blue bruises were already forming all along the right side of your body, which had taken the brunt of the force. Your wrist hurt like all hell from where you'd tried to stop yourself from falling, ultimately crushing it beneath your body on accident.

"Fuck." You spat to yourself, cursing Nishinoya. A blush rose to your cheeks, and you nearly choked when you realized that he had _seen_ you, fully naked, for the first time _ever_. That is not how you would've wanted that to go.

A couple minutes later, Saeko came to your aid, Nishinoya showing her where you were. The blonde told him to wait further down the bank, and rushed over to you. She had grabbed your towel, and had dry clothes for you. Guiding you away from the water, she covered you with the towel before peppering you with questions.

"What happened?!" 

"I-I...was showering. Noya came out of nowhere and bumped into me. I fell." You managed, shivering and gritting your teeth, holding your side tenderly. Saeko noticed your odd behavior, and pulled back the towel.

"JESUS CHRIST!" She yelled, pointing at your plethora of bruising. You laughed bitterly.

"That little asshole." Saeko growled, ready to turn and go find the culprit, who was no doubt freaking out over hurting you so badly.

"He didn't mean to," you started, and she whirled around, "it was an accident, Saeko."

She was silent for a minute.

"Just...help me get dressed. Please." Your words were pleading, and you were in great pain. The blonde could see that, and her expression softened.

"Okay."

Saeko helped you shrug into your clothing, which was thankfully loose-fitting and didn't rub uncomfortably on your bruises or jostle your stinging wrist. The moment you were clothed, however, she grabbed your face in her hands and stared into your eyes intently.

"Did you hit your head? Be honest."

"N-No, I didn't!" 

She narrowed her eyes.

"If you hit your head, you better fucking tell me right now."

"I didn't hit my head, my wrist broke the fall." You said, cringing as you held up your crumpled wrist, still painfully throbbing. Saeko sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Ugh, that doesn't look good. Might have to make a trip to the ER." 

You walked barefoot back towards Tanaka, who was waiting for you guys down the river bank, at the mouth of the pathway which led back to the campsite. Saeko followed, carrying your flip-flops. There was no sign of the brown-haired libero.

"You alright, man?" Tanaka asked, pulling you close in a hug. You winced, but hugged him back all the same.

"Yeah, just took a little spill." You said, chuckling. 

"You're a toughie, let's head back and patch you up. Doctor Tanaka's on the case." He said, leading you back up the dirt path. Saeko rolled her eyes, following the pair of you. 

Nishinoya was, as you'd thought, back at camp. He was just standing there, fidgeting. His arms were full of medical supplies, likely stolen from Saeko's trunk. 

"Y/N, I'm so sorry! A-Are you okay?" He asked, looking as though he was on the verge of tears. You laughed, punching him lightly on the shoulder with your good hand and ruffling his hair.

"I'm just fine, Yuu. Just got a little bruised, like a banana." 

Nishinoya let out a watery laugh, but Saeko stepped forward, and cleared her throat. Silence fell, and she grabbed your injured wrist, causing you to cry out in pain. Noya's face fell, and Tanaka patted him on the back.

"She's not fine, this could be a sprain, or worse, a fracture. You've gotta be more careful, Yuu. We're lucky she didn't hit her head." Saeko said sternly to the shorter boy.

Nishinoya nodded.

"I'll be more careful next time, Saeko. And again, Y/N, I'm really, really sorry." 

You shook your head, waving your unharmed hand in the air.

"You're all good, don't worry about it."

This minor injury did concern you, though. As a future veterinarian, you'd need the best hands. They always say surgeons need to protect their hands, and you had always planned on surgeries being part of your work load. You hoped the damage wasn't too bad.

"I'm taking Y/N to the ER. We're going home right after." Saeko said sternly, and the boys' faces fell.

You protested.

"Saeko, that's ridiculous. We still have another day left!"

The woman narrowed her eyes at you.

"Come on, even if I do get a cast, coming back doesn't mean I'll suddenly decide to jump off the top of the falls." You said, an edge of humor in your voice. 

That made her firm demeanor crack slightly, and she humphed to herself.

"If I see you _or_ Ryu getting hyper around Y/N when we get back, I will pack this fucking van and drag you monkeys home." Saeko growled at Nishinoya, who looked downright miserable. You felt for him, and gave him a reassuring arm-squeeze.

"I believe in you." You said, giving him that radiant smile he loved so much. All he could do was nod before Saeko pulled you away, getting you settled in the passenger seat of the van before turning back to the boys, face softening.

"Can you guys get dinner and a fire going?"

They nodded. Saeko thanked them.

"We're taking the van, so you're basically stranded out here until we get back." Saeko added helpfully, causing them to shift uncomfortably. You barked at Saeko to cut it out, and she let out a hearty laugh.

"We should be back in an hour or two, maybe more if the ER's slammed." The blonde said, hands on her hips.

"Okay," Tanaka said, "don't leave us here." he added.

"We won't." You kindly called to him before Saeko could respond. She scoffed before skirting around to the driver's seat and getting in, turning the ignition.

"Stay safe!" You yelled as you guys drove away, leaving the boys behind.

This camping trip was shaping up to be far more hazardous than you'd expected, you mused to yourself as you held your wrist. The pain hadn't decreased in the slightest, and the jarring movement of Saeko going sixty miles per hour down the little road didn't help at all.

You guys were lucky the nearest town was ten minutes away, and the little hospital wasn't hard to locate at all. Being such a small, unproblematic place, the emergency room wasn't full to the brim like it would be back home. You only waited ten minutes before a nurse saw you for a diagnosis. She handled your wrist carefully, asking 'if it hurt when she did this' and 'if it hurt when she did that'. Soon, the doctor, a stern-looking woman, came to treat you.

The nurse gave her the information, and the doctor led you away to get some X-rays taken. Saeko demanded she accompany you, but you insisted she wait in the waiting room. "I'll be just fine", you reassured her.

Sure enough, you had a rather clean fracture in your wrist, though it was quite small. The doctor tsk'd before dragging you to another room, bringing in materials for a cast. 

"You'll wear this for at least four weeks, then see- you're on holiday, correct? Then you'll see your local doctor for further diagnosis, our receptionist will get your information and send the X-rays to your preferred doctor's office."

You were silent for a minute before asking, "I plan to be a doctor, myself, do you think I'll make a full recovery? I need to be in tip-top shape."

She let out a laugh.

"If you take it easy for as long as recommended and avoid aggravating the injury, you should be just fine, dear."

You thanked her profusely, and she gave you a soft smile, holding up two different color choices.

"Now, green or purple?" 

You and Saeko walked out forty-five minutes later, you admiring your new lime green cast, and Saeko jingling her van keys.

Soon enough, you were back at the campsite, and the boys ran to the van, welcoming you guys back.

No sooner than than you'd gotten out of the van did Nishinoya engulf you in a tight hug, nearly knocking into your newly immobile arm. Saeko gave him a warning shout of "What did I say?!", and he immediately backed off, apologizing profusely.

Tanaka gave you a gentle pat on the back, not wanting to invoke the wrath of his older sister. 

"She lives." He said, grinning. 

The rest of the evening was spent in a mellow manner, with Tanaka playing music from the speaker and the fire crackling in the center of the clearing. The four of you roasted marshmallows (well, Noya roasted yours for you, since you only had one working arm) and told scary stories. Saeko did shots of vodka with no chaser, Tanaka lit up another blunt, and Noya stuck to a couple hard lemonades. He didn't want to get too smashed, since his primary objective of the night was to watch over you.

Noya still felt extremely guilty, watching you in your bright green cast. Of course he'd ended up hurting you, in one way or another. He couldn't dial it down sometimes, not like...someone like Daichi could. You deserved someone who didn't hurt you, and Noya knew Daichi couldn't hurt you if he tried.

Noticing his sullen gaze, you kicked Nishinoya lightly, causing him to snap out of his thoughts.

"Hey, wanna sign my cast? They say an artist should always sign his work, after all." You said jokingly, giving him a wink and laughing kindly. Noya let a small smile cross his face, and he accepted the thick-tipped Sharpie you passed him. 

"Aw, shut up. I guess it's fitting I sign it first, though." Nishinoya joked back, spelling out 'Yuu' on your cast. He purposely put his first name instead of the shortened endearment his friends called him, "Noya". Sure, you called him that, too, but you also called him by his first name, which was something that practically no one did. He could count the number of people on his fingers that called him 'Yuu', and most of them were family members.

He added a smiley face to top it off, and sat back to observe his work, handing the pen back. 

Noya then noticed you didn't have a drink in hand.

"Do you want a drink?" He offered, and you shook your head.

"That's alright, I'm staying sober for a little while. Healing up is the most important thing right now, don't want to aggravate the injury as a result of lowered inhibitions and doing something reckless." 

Nishinoya nodded wordlessly, looking into the fire. You were always a smart one, and hell, you sounded like a doctor already.

Not only that, but you had also refused the pain medication the doctor offered you. Knowing it wouldn't speed up your recovery, you knew yourself well enough to make the decision to go it alone. Something even more dangerous than a messed-up hand was an opiate addiction in the long run, and pain-killers were the first step. 

But today gave you insight you hadn't had before. While it was perfectly valid to live it up and party hard, you needed to remember what you were here for, what you ultimately wanted. And that was to be a fantastic veterinarian. 

You'd have to be a little more careful, you told yourself, and think a little harder before jumping into situations.

That didn't seem too hard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this camping montage was way too much fun, I'm sorry for having Noya accidentally break your wrist! Catch me throwing in the typical jealousy love triangle next chapter ;D


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning brought the delicious smell of bacon and eggs.

You awoke in your sleeping bag, all snuggled up but feeling an uncomfortable itching in your arm. Raising it, you were briefly surprised to see the bright green of your cast, but quickly remembered the events from the day before.

Laughing to yourself, you tried your best to ignore the itching. It was just the feeling of your body repairing your wrist. 

You sat up, realizing you were alone in the tent. Checking your phone time, you saw that it was 10:03am. Phew, you had really slept in!

Unzipping the tent and clambering out in your pajamas, you saw the rest of your party circled around the fire, eating breakfast.

"Oh, looks who's up!" Saeko said, standing to greet you.

"We figured it would be best to let you sleep, so you can heal up faster and all that." Tanaka said, kicking back in his soccer-mom chair and taking a bite out of an apple.

Nishinoya held out a plate full of delicious-smelling breakfast foods, and you accepted with a grateful 'thank you', digging in once you sat down next to him in your own soccer-mom chair.

Part of you was sad to be heading back later that day, back to civilization and the prospects of real life. Camping was a wonderful escape, and you had desperately needed this weekend, despite all the hiccups it had caused (ahem, broken wrist). And as always, the company was stellar and the conversation was sparkling.

"We were supposed to go on that hike today, go up to the peak of the waterfall," Saeko started, and you sighed.

"But now we can't because my wrist is busted." You said, feeling guilty.

Tanaka looked particularly glum. He was an avid hiker, and had expressed multiple times his excitement about going to the top of the trail. You chewed on your lip before responding.

"You three should go up, anyway. I'll be just fine by the river bank, it'll give me the opportunity to sun-tan!" You said cheerfully, and Tanaka's face brightened. 

Saeko was quiet for a moment, before responding,

"Only if you're sure you'll be okay..."

"I'll be perfectly alright." You said firmly, and the blonde woman sighed.

"If you say so. Alright, we'll leave in half an hour." 

The afternoon was spent in the aforementioned fashion, with you laying by the river and your three friends climbing up to the top of the waterfall. It took them a terribly long time to get all the way up there, it was steeper than they all anticipated. Even Saeko, who had climbed the very peak a few times before, had a tough time getting up a few particularly nasty stretches.

Once they had gotten to the top and spotted you tanning, Nishinoya yelled at the top of his lungs trying to get your attention from the highest peak. You raised your head from your position on the river bank below, swearing you could have heard a far-off voice, but dismissed it and went back to dozing.

The libero, not yet feeling defeated, jumped too, waving his arms above his head and screaming. Unfortunately, NIshinoya slipped, and only escaped a rather gruesome death thanks to Tanaka's outstanding grip.

"You fucking simp." He growled, pulling Nishinoya back up. Saeko just smacked her forehead in exasperation, starting down the mountain carefully.

"Ridiculous." She muttered as she went.

Noya flushed in embarrassment, heart pounding from sheer adrenaline. If Tanaka hadn't been there, Nishinoya would have just been a fond memory his friends could think upon. He quietly followed Saeko, Tanaka trailing behind.

Packing up camp took less time than you thought, and you enjoyed organizing the inventory in the back of the trunk. You couldn't physically do much, and most of the time was spent watching your friends fold up tents and carry things. One task you could do well was bark orders at Tanaka and Noya, which was far too much fun in its own right.

Once the four of you were satisfied with the condition of the campsite and the van (both exquisite, by the way), you all took one last dip in the river, cooling off before the drive back.

The fresh smell of the water lingered in the van, clinging to your bodies, as Saeko merged onto the freeway. Tanaka had been designated the new co-driver, thanks to your newly reduced span of abilities, driving being one of them. 

Saeko had reached for an energy drink she'd snuck into her cup-holder, but you smacked her hand away, grabbing the can and placing it to your side.

"No repeats of last time." You said sternly, pointing a finger at her.

"Fine, _Mom_." Saeko sneered scathingly, and you gave her the stink-eye before sitting back.

Saeko's haphazard promise was good enough for you, and you closed your eyes. You rested your head shamelessly on Nishinoya's shoulder and your lime cast on his leg, allowing yourself to drift off. Noya certainly didn't mind, though the closeness reminded him of the waterfall, and how close he was to a naked you, and how beautiful you were, and - oh, hell.

So much for letting Daichi have you, Noya thought to himself as he watched your sleeping face.

There was no way he would let that happen now.

\---

Saeko dropped you off at your apartment a few hours later, when you had finally made it back to your home town. 

"Be careful with that wrist!" She shouted, and Tanaka nodded in agreement. You promised you would, rolling your eyes and laughing.

Nishinoya helped you grab your stuff from the back. You were able to shoulder your rolled-up sleeping bag, and Noya looked questioningly from your travel-bag to you.

"You can drape that over me, it's not like I'm in a full-body cast." You said, laughing. 

"I don't know, that's a pretty fresh break. Let me walk you in, at least."

Noya shouted to Saeko that he'd be quick, and the blonde grunted in acknowledgement, leaning her seat back and putting her arms behind her shoulders; she used her feet to put the car in park, and you grimaced. The pair of you entered your apartment building, and you made for the stairs.

"Are you crazy?" 

You looked behind yourself, and saw Noya's incredulous face.

"Gotta stay in shape. Stairs." You pointed at the stairs.

Nishinoya huffed.

"You literally broke your wrist yesterday. We're taking the elevator, dummy." 

A broad smile crept onto your face, and the boy blushed at it, turning defensive.

"W-What are you smiling at?!"

"Just you. It's cute you're worried about me." You said honestly, giving him a wink before changing course and heading for the elevator. Nishinoya's face got even redder, and he spluttered incoherently, shuffling after you and mashing the '4th Floor' button with one finger. 

You fished your keys out of your jeans pocket when the pair of you reached your front door, unlocking it and stepping inside the cool apartment. The lights were off, and you clicked them on. Noya followed you inside, looking around the place.

"Is that new?" He asked, bouncing over to the coffee table, dragging your bag along with him. 

"Yeah, got it the day we left for camping."

The libero nodded, and he gestured to the bag he was holding.

"Where do you want this?" 

"Ah, my room, please!" You said, leading him down the short hallway to your bedroom. Nudging open the door with your foot, you entered and smiled at the tidy, aesthetic state of the room. 

"Wow, your room's great! I mean, your old one was great too, but this looks really nice!" Nishinoya said, fumbling slightly over his words, cheeks going pink. Granted, he had only been in your old bedroom, the one at your parents' house, a few times, but he liked the clean design of this new one.

You clapped him on the back, smiling. He jumped.

"Thanks, Yuu."

You hesitated.

"I'd invite you to stay and hang out, but I wouldn't be able to drive you home later." 

Glancing at your cast, Nishinoya nodded, looking sullen.

"True. Though we could always have a sleepover." He said, expression turning from gloomy to devious. You blushed, letting out a nervous giggle. Daichi wouldn't be thrilled at that, you figured, plus you were pretty wiped out from the trip.

At the same time...the idea tempted you. Being all alone with Nishinoya all night long, watching movies, making breakfast in the morning...it was a pretty sweet deal.

"Maybe another time. I'm gonna host a house-warming party soon, since I have a barbecue on the balcony and everything." You said, pointing out the sliding glass door at the far wall, leading to the aforementioned grill. Noya brightened at that.

"Hell yeah!"

"Plus," you added, "Saeko hinted at having a movie night over here. She wants to marathon the Indiana Jones movies."

"Oh, count me in!" Nishinoya's beaming face made your heart pound, and you grinned back at him.

He said his goodbyes, though somewhat reluctantly, and you gave him a hug before he went, thanking him once more for helping you with your bag. You hardly noticed his beet-red face as the door swung shut, his expression dazed.

Turning to face your apartment, your eyes roved over the space. Furniture made it look more lived-in, and the patterned rug tied the couch in with the TV stand, as well as the side tables. You'd framed a few funky art prints, ones that you loved. Their vibrant hues gave the living space a pop of color, much to your delight.

Strolling to the sliding glass door, you opened it and stepped onto the balcony. It wasn't screened in, and the open air was soothing. The grill was off to the right, and there was only enough space left for a few people to stand and look out at the city. 

You could probably fit a dozen people comfortably in the apartment, each of them having a place to sit and mingle. Stepping back inside your apartment, you left the sliding door open and glanced down the hall to your right. First door on the right was the bathroom, second door on the right was your room, and first door on the left was your roommate's room. 

She hadn't arrived yet, and you didn't really mind. Having the whole apartment to yourself was perfect, you could have anyone over whenever you wanted, and planned on doing that as much as possible before she moved in.

Padding over to the kitchen, you opened the fridge and cringed. It was completely empty.

Your stomach growled, and you glanced at the clock.

'4:17pm.' Well, it's probably about time you took a trip to the grocery store. Plan some meals, be a responsible, independent, adult. 

At that moment, your phone buzzed in your back pocket, and you jumped. You pulled it out and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Y/N. It's Daichi."

You smiled at your empty apartment.

"Oh hi, Daichi! What's up?"

"I was wondering when you were coming back from your camping trip. Figured I'd plan our aquarium date earlier this time, since I know what my schedule looks like for this week."

"I actually just got back half an hour ago. And, well..." You looked down at your lime green cast, grimacing, "I kind of had an accident on the trip, broke my wrist."

Daichi gasped, and his following words were filled with concern. 

"A-Are you alright? Is it bad?" 

Your soft laughter filled the line, and Daichi's expression softened on the other end, his mouth slowly forming a smile.

"I'm alright, it's just pretty new. I'm still good to go to the aquarium, what day works best for you?" 

Settling on a day and general time went well, and Daichi agreed to pick you up from your apartment and drive the pair of you. You thanked him, and blushed when he said he was excited to see you.

"I'm excited to see you too, Daichi. Talk to you later." You hung up after he said goodbye, and sighed. 

Pulling your shoes back on, you gathered your purse up, and prepared to leave your apartment to go shopping for much-needed sustenance. You hung your purse on your shoulder, freeing your good hand so you could grab some reusable totes. 

_'How the hell am I going to carry everything? I won't even be able to push around a cart.'_ You suddenly realized, looking down at your incapacitated hand. Letting out an exasperated sigh, you put down the bags and pulled your phone out of your pocket once more, dialing a number.

 _'This stupid wrist better heal up fast, or else.'_

You hated calling other people for help, and you gritted your teeth as the line rang. But Daichi had mentioned he moved into his apartment, which was only a couple minutes' walk from yours.

"Hello?" 

"Hey, Daichi. I know we just talked, but I, uh, realized I might need some help grocery shopping?" It came out more as a question, and you cringed before continuing.

"Um, if you're not busy and it's not too much trouble, could you come with me to the store?" You finished, flushing in embarrassment. 

Saeko would've been your first call, but she was probably exhausted from dealing with you, Nishinoya, and Tanaka all weekend. Same thing with Tanaka, he took a fair share of the drive back, and was probably wiped out, too. As for Nishinoya...you'd just seen him, and he didn't own a car. No way for him to get here, unless he stole Saeko's van.

"Yeah, of course!" On the other end of the line, Daichi was grinning like an idiot, ecstatic you'd called him. "Just got back from volunteering, actually, so it's good timing. I'll be at yours in ten minutes?" 

You let out a sigh of relief.

"Sounds great. Thank you so much, Daichi."

"No worries, see you soon."

The line clicked off, and you brought the phone down from your ear, face reddening. You looked down at your cast, before bringing your immobilized hand to rest on the kitchen counter. 

You moved it towards your cell phone, attempting to pick it up. Your fingers stretched outwards, and you winced as pain shot up your hand. Yeah, calling Daichi had been a good idea. If you couldn't grasp something as small as your phone with the injured limb, there was no way you could carry bags of food with it. 

Still...letting Daichi help you made you want to recoil, the vulnerable feeling unwelcome and hard to weather. It'd be different if it was one of your close friends, especially Nishinoya, because it was his fault your wrist was fractured in the first place. You laughed under your breath at his concerned face, smiling at how he'd worried for you.

You couldn't help but remember the look in Noya's eyes, even through the pain you felt from being knocked over. He was completely flabbergasted, slack-jawed at seeing you naked, but those eyes...the fiery look in them made your heart pound harder than ever. 

Ghosting a hand over your heart, you took a quick breath, trying not to dwell on the boy's beautiful, brown eyes. That look...you couldn't deny that he, at the very least, looked interested in you, physically. Of course, you were rather attractive, objectively speaking, so that could've just been general adolescent horniness seeping through.

At the same time, you sincerely wished Nishinoya would look at you like that more often. 

A sharp rapping on the front door made you jump, grabbing the counter with your hand to stable yourself.

 _'Did I really day-dream about Noya for ten minutes?'_ You thought incredulously to yourself as you rushed to the door, pulling open to reveal Daichi, hair tousled from the wind. He looked more casual today, wearing a white sweater and jeans, but damn if he didn't look great. His lips were slightly parted, and you could smell his cologne, light and fresh, invading your senses.

"Hey." You said softly, stepping back to let him in. Daichi smiled, stepping inside.

"Hey, how's the wrist?" He asked, looking down at your green cast. You grimaced.

"Not so great. I thought I could handle grocery shopping by myself, but I couldn't even pick my phone up with it." You said, grabbing your purse. Daichi nodded sagely.

"Aw, that's rough. I can carry all your bags for you." He said firmly, gently taking your purse from your hands. You practically melted at that, fighting a smile off your face as you blushed. 

"T-That's so sweet." You said, and at the moment you couldn't help but notice how close Daichi was to you. It made you feel so comfortable, and warm, despite the pang of regret at accepting help from the man. 

"Don't sweat it. Ready to go?" He asked, and you nodded, leading him out of your apartment.

The grocery store wasn't too far, maybe five minutes' walk. Daichi pushed the cart for you, down the long aisles. You darted around it nimbly, picking things off of shelves and tossing them in the cart. Daichi watched as you weaved in and out of other customers, squatting down to grab this or that, jumping up to grab this or that. He spoke up only after you made a graceful spin around another customer, seizing a large box of pasta and tossing it into the cart.

"You know, you'd have been a great libero for the girls' volleyball team." 

Straightening up quickly, you flushed as you glanced at him.

"W-What makes you say that?" 

"Just the way you move. Liberos have to be ready to move in any way possible to receive the ball, and you certainly have that part down." Daichi said, smiling as the pair of you turned the corner to walk down the next aisle. You smiled, instantly thinking of Nishinoya.

"I'm sure Noya would love if I had been a libero, like him." You said without thinking, a grin on your face, and Daichi raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I guess." 

His tone was less enthusiastic at the mention of the shorter boy, and you cringed. Dumb move.

You rubbed your cast unconsciously, finger moving over the Sharpie'd 'Yuu'. Saeko and Tanaka's names were near it, but not too close. Nishinoya had warned them not to get too close with their signatures, or they'd pay. Daichi glanced at your cast, expression warming.

"How did you break your wrist, anyway?" He asked, smiling sympathetically. You grabbed a bag of hot chips from the wall, tossing them in the cart.

"Well-" You started, before blushing furiously. What could you say? _'Noya bumped into me, while I was showering, and knocked me to the ground. He then proceeded to stare at my very naked body, before helping me up, in which he had to touch my naked body.'_ Yeah, that wouldn't work.

"I was checking out the waterfall Saeko brought us to, and Noya didn't see me around a corner, so he ran out and accidentally knocked me down." You said, and were satisfied with that. It was a perfectly innocent answer, and thankfully, Daichi seemed to think so as well, though hearing that Noya had a hand in your accident didn't seem to raise his spirits. 

"Nishinoya." He growled, looking far angrier than when the libero and Tanaka had shown up to practice late. You gulped.

"It was an accident, Daichi." You said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Daichi's expression softened, but he still looked agitated and slightly angry.

"Really, I'm fine."

Daichi huffed.

"That boy is a hazard, and while he doesn't mean to, he hurts those around him." Daichi said, frowning at your lime green cast. You felt a twinge of anger at that, and you couldn't help but glare at him.

"Noya is not a hazard, he just gets over-excited easily." You defended, and Daichi furrowed his brow at you.

"Why are you defending him? He's the reason you're in a cast." 

"Because he's my friend, and I care about him-" You started to say, but were cut off, not by Daichi, but a third voice behind you.

"Honey, what are you doing here?" Turning around, you spotted your mom and dad pushing a cart of food towards you, and wished you were dead. Of course Daichi was here with you, of course you were here defending your 'friend who really meant a lot more to you', and of course your parents were now here.

"Mom? This is a grocery store - I'm here buying groceries." You tried to keep the snippiness out of your voice, and failed spectacularly. Long day, and all that.

Your mom parked her cart next to yours, blocking the aisle. One glance at your wrist and she was panicking, peppering off questions as to what happened and how it happened and if you were okay. 

"Mom- Mom, I'm fine!" You said, exasperated. "It was just a little fall on the camping trip." 

As you were consoling your mother, your father had taken the opportunity to shake hands with Daichi, greeting him warmly. You rolled your eyes to the heavens at this, wanting to throw up your arms in despair. The worst timing. On the planet. Daichi was chatting with your dad when you cleared your throat.

"So, when are you planning on taking my daughter out on a date?" Your dad asked blatantly, and you resisted the urge to rip your hair out in frustration and embarrassment.

Daichi laughed heartily, reddening slightly.

"We've actually already been on a date. Last week, and we're planning to go to the aquarium this week." Daichi said, smiling broadly. Your dad's eyes moved from Daichi to yourself, where you were currently pretending to be invisible.

"Well, that's the first I'm hearing of it!" Your dad said, laughing and slapping Daichi on the back, giving you a fierce glare all the same. Knowing him, he would've wanted all the 'dirty deets', just like Saeko. If it wasn't already apparent to Daichi that your dad wanted him as a son-in-law, it was now.

"Dad, don't bug Daichi. He's just helping me get groceries." You said, dragging your parents away from Daichi. Your mom saved you, speaking up.

"Yes, dear, we should be getting on. Still have dinner to make and all."

And then you dad spoke the words you dreaded to hear.

"Why don't the two of you join us for dinner?" 

You blanched, taking a step back, towards your and Daichi's cart. Please, no.

"I don't think that's a good-" You started, but Daichi overrode your words.

"That sounds great!"

You shot him a sharp glare, and he cringed at your venomous look, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I mean- how about we plan for another night? I think Y/N is still tired from her camping trip." Daichi said, saving the conversation. 

You let out a sigh of relief, agreeing with Daichi. Your dad frowned with disappointment, but your mom saved you, once again.

"Honey, we should let the kids finish up their shopping. Daichi's right, Y/N just had an accident, it's probably best to let her rest." She said gently, and your dad sighed.

"Alright, alright. I hope you feel better, sweetie. Good seeing you, Daichi."

And with that, they turned the corner and vanished. You let out a heavier sigh of relief, turning to Daichi. 

"Thank you."

"No worries. I guess having dinner with your parents is a little fast, huh?" Daichi said, smiling sheepishly. You gave him a small smile.

"It does seem a little soon." You said softly, squeezing his arm. 

"That's alright, I'm willing to wait." Daichi's gentle words made your heart melt, but you couldn't help but feel perturbed at your parents' interruption. Having dinner with the person you're dating wasn't that far off the target, when it came to typical relationship check-points. Combined with the fact that Daichi had already met your parents on a few occasions, the fact that you were dragging your feet concerned you.

Bringing Daichi to a family dinner might not be soon at all. If that's the case, then maybe it's that you're just not _ready_ for it? You shook your head to clear it, but that question echoed in your mind as you and Daichi walked on.

The pair of you finished up your shopping, checking out at the register. 

Even as you swiped your card, you couldn't help but think further about the dark-haired, strong man standing next to you, helping the clerk bag groceries. A future with Daichi...what would that look like?

You pictured a suburban home, one that had personality, but also had the white picket-fence and beautifully green lawn. The wrap-around porch was a necessity, as well as the spacious backyard. 

'For when the kids arrive.' Daichi would say, rubbing your growing belly. Kids would be soon to come, and the pair of you would make splendid parents. Your private practice-veterinary clinic would take up a lot of your time, and so would Daichi's work with the fire department, but it would all pay off. Knowing Daichi, he'd plan everything down to the last inkling, to be ready for a family. 

A future with Daichi would be spooning in bed at night, cold glasses of lemonade on the porch, living your dream job, raising children together, growing old together, supporting each other until your last breath.

The thought was comforting, you couldn't lie. 

"Everything alright?" 

You were snapped out of your thoughts by Daichi, who was holding a receipt in his teeth and about four bags of groceries in each hand. 

"Uh, yeah, everything's fine. Let me grab one of those." You insisted, reaching out your hand to grab one. 

Daichi shook his head, refusing to let any of the bags go. You narrowed your eyes.

"At least let me have the receipt."

Submitting, he allowed you to take it from his teeth.

As the pair of you walked towards the exit, you couldn't help but glance over at Daichi.

Family man, you thought to yourself.

He'd be a family man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had to throw in some more Daichi love there! I know the headcanon is that he ends up working with police, but I always imagined he'd work with the fire department instead :D


	9. Chapter 9

"Hey guys, come on in!" You said cheerily, gesturing for the boys to enter your apartment. Tsukishima entered with Yamaguchi, who greeted you warmly. 

Daichi was already settled on the couch next to Asahi, with Suga puttering around your kitchen, grabbing snacks and pouring them into various sizes of bowls to put out 'for the guests'.

"Suga, _you're_ a guest, too. You don't have to do that." You had said when he first entered your kitchen, poking through your cupboard. The gray-haired man merely looked over his shoulder incredulously at you, a bag of potato chips in hand.

At his look, you grimaced, changing tactics.

"Never mind, go for it."

Suga beamed at you, answering you with a question: "Where are the snack bowls?" 

You didn't mind the help, you knew Suga was quite the motherly figure when put in the right environment. And you supposed a house-warming party was the perfect place for his instincts to kick in.

Now, Yamaguchi was complimenting your dwelling, from the hardwood floors to the wall fixtures. Tsukki remained silent, his glare seeming to intensify when you caught his eye. Shuddering, you looked away from him and at the pinch-setter, who had walked away and was currently greeting Daichi respectfully by the fridge, where the man was retrieving another beer.

Hosting a house-warming party was quite a fun idea, and Daichi had encouraged that you invite the whole team, insisting he'd pay for the materials you'd need to barbecue. You hadn't thought many of them would show up, considering you were only close with the older ones, but the second they'd heard barbecue was involved, the younger ones were on board.

Hinata was out on the balcony with Kageyama, pointing out random things to the raven-haired setter, who grunted in response. The sliding glass door was kept open, for the sake of easy passage when you attempted barbecuing later. You went to sit by Asahi, sighing loudly.

"I've never barbecued anything in my life before." You said, putting your head in your hands. Asahi let out a soft laugh, the skin beside his eyes wrinkling as he smiled.

"That's alright, I can help you with that. I really enjoy barbecuing." The man said, and your mood brightened at that.

"Thanks, Asahi." 

A sharp knock on the door - more of a quick rapping sound, really, and you bolted out of your seat and to the door. You were still waiting on Saeko, Tanaka, and Noya, who were allegedly car-pooling. 

Swinging the door open, your face burst into a wildly excited grin at the sight of your best friends. Saeko stepped in first, carrying a bottle of wine with her. Tanaka and Noya entered after her, both looking rather spiffy with their neat button-ups and trousers. You looked questioningly at their clean attire, the change from tee shirts and gym shorts confusing you.

Tanaka answered your expression, going pink.

"Saeko made us dress up."

The accused blonde woman was currently in the kitchen with Suga, who was thrilled at the sight of wine. They were gushing over different years and pours, and you glanced back to the boys, taking in their appearance.

Nishinoya's top buttons were undone, but it was a nice look. You swore you could smell cologne, or maybe aftershave? That could've been Tanaka, it was hard to tell since he and Noya were standing right next to each other.

"Well, I think you guys look great!" You said, bringing Noya in for a one-armed hug. He flushed, hands jammed in his pockets.

"You look really nice yourself." Tanaka said, giving you a once-over. You'd opted for a long skirt, black and flowy, and a cute tie top, baby blue. Not a bad outfit, one would call it modest if the tie top didn't expose quite a bit of your ribs and upper chest. Nishinoya looked like he wanted to say something, too, as he looked you over, but blushed and kept quiet.

"Thanks, bro." You said to Tanaka, before Suga called you over to the kitchen. 

"Ah, be right back. Go ahead and mingle, I'm going to start barbecuing soon." You said, smiling at the boys before entering the kitchen.

"Where's your cork-screw?" Suga said, as he rifled through a couple drawers. Laughing, you reached for your keys, which were situated in a bowl on the kitchen island. Your attached portable cork-screw wasn't fancy by any means, but it always got the job done. Suga accepted it gratefully, starting to open the bottle.

"Thanks for the wine, Saeko." You said, finally addressing your best friend. She threw an arm around you.

"Don't sweat it, would've brought more if I'd known how many people were coming." 

You noticed Daichi's gaze from his position on the couch, and smiled. He gave you a little wave, before returning his attention to his conversation with Asahi.

"At least half of these guys are underage, I highly doubt Daichi would let them drink wine." You said, laughing at the blonde's mortified expression. Saeko's face morphed into an evil grin, and she got closer to you.

"Oh, Daichi wouldn't want that, would he? Does he speak for the couple?" She teased, squeezing your side and eliciting a squeak from you.

"H-Hardly." You shot back, flushing and shoving her away from you.

Hearing you and Daichi being referred to as a couple brought up odd feelings. They weren't uncomfortable, but at the same time, they weren't comfortable either. It was like a sickly sweet feeling, being put into a relationship like that in conversation.

"Besides, Daichi hasn't asked me to be his girlfriend." 'Yet.' The word lingered on your tongue and made you feel extremely claustrophobic all of a sudden. You weren't sure that was what you wanted, you thought as you looked over to Nishinoya, who was playing around with Hinata on the balcony. 

Saeko followed your gaze, and her eyes softened as she saw who you were looking at. 

Suga, having taken notice of your odd expression, spoke up suddenly.

"I'm sure Daichi will soon. He really likes you." He said helpfully, though that didn't reassure you in the slightest. All the same, you gave him a warm smile.

"Thanks, Suga."

After a pause, you excused yourself from the pair, going over to Daichi and Asahi. They looked up at you, mid-conversation.

"Sorry to interrupt, I was thinking of starting up the grill soon. Are you still okay with helping me out, Asahi?" You asked politely, feeling bad for interrupting their conversation. Asahi stood, assuring you that you weren't interrupting. Daichi frowned slightly.

"I could've helped with barbecuing." He said, pouting. You snickered, grabbing his hand and pulling him to a standing position.

"You can help too, you big baby." You teased, guiding the pair of them to the balcony. 

Upon seeing Nishinoya nearly fall over the edge of the balcony while messing with Hinata, Daichi grabbed the libero by the ear.

"Be careful." He hissed at Noya, who was in shock at the sudden attack. Hinata laughed loudly at Noya being caught by their captain, but you cringed at the man-handling of your best friend. Putting a hand on Daichi's arm, you gave him a soft look.

Upon seeing your expression, Daichi paused before releasing Noya, who gave the pair of you a confused look before darting inside. Hinata bounced after him, leaving yourself, Daichi, and Asahi to stand on the balcony. 

Asahi cleared his throat, going over to the grill to start it up.

"You're too soft on him." Daichi said, putting a warm hand on your shoulder. You let out a mirthless laugh, though you didn't mean any offense.

"It's hard not to be, we've been tight for years." You said, placing your hand over Daichi's and squeezing. The man's face fell ever so slightly.

"That's fair."

At his gloomy expression, part of you wanted to reassure Daichi, tell him that he had nothing to worry about, that Nishinoya was like a brother to you. Heart sinking, you pressed your lips together as you realized that you _couldn't_ say that. Noya held part of your heart in his hands, and while Daichi also had claim to part of you, it wasn't the same. 

You pushed aside the guilty feeling, and snaked an arm around Daichi, smiling up at him.

"Come on, let's cook up some meat for these starving boys." 

The dark-haired man nodded, going to help Asahi with the grill. You took the opportunity to go back inside the apartment, looking over the scene in front of you.

Kageyama had gotten control of the remote, and what was previously a jazz music channel was now a professional volleyball game. The sounds were reminiscent of Karasuno's games, and you laughed at Kageyama's focused expression, sitting by him on the couch. He stiffened at your presence, but you gave him a broad smile.

"Huge fan of volleyball, huh?" You asked, watching him.

He nodded in response, eyes glued to the TV.

"Don't wanna hang with the others?" You asked, gesturing to Hinata, Tanaka, and Yamaguchi, who had circled up and were chatting. Noya was busy provoking Tsukishima, who looked positively miserable, and occasionally sent 'help me' looks to Suga, who was still talking animatedly with Saeko, sipping on a glass of wine.

Kageyama shook his head, and you appreciated his honesty.

"That's cool. I'm Y/N, by the way. I don't think we've officially met." You said, extending a hand. The setter shook it, looking you in the eye for the first time in your interaction.

"Kageyama Tobio. Nice to meet you. Thanks for hosting this party." He said, rather stiffly. You were shocked at hearing so many words spill out of his mouth that you disregarded his awkward tone.

"I'm glad you could make it! I'm gonna go save Tsukki from Noya, but enjoy the game!" You said, standing and looking back at Tsukki, who was practically wilting as Noya peppered him with random conversation topics. You were sure the libero had consumed some form of substance before coming over, from the way he was even more hyper than usual. 

The typical person couldn't tell if Noya was more jittery than usual, as he was naturally like that, but you certainly could. Knowing the guy for years gave you the inside knowledge that few people had, and you knew that Tsukki would break if he had to weather much more of it.

"Yuu," you said gently, placing an arm on the libero's shoulder when you approached. Tsukki gave you a half-hearted glare, but you could see genuine gratefulness in his eyes. Noya spun around, grinning at the sight of you.

"Oh, Y/N! I was just telling Tsukki about this awesome dinosaur movie I watched last night!" He said brightly, and Tsukki looked slightly mortified.

"You said you watched Godzilla..." Tsukki said, disdain reflecting in his features. You stifled a laugh as the tall blond man sidled away towards Yamaguchi, relieved to escape. 

"Yuu." You said once more, waiting before you had eye contact with the shorter boy before continuing.

"Are you alright? You don't seem sober." 

He pressed his lips together, looking guilty.

"Maybe not." 

Sighing, you dragged Noya to the kitchen. Saeko and Suga had vacated, joining Kageyama on the couch. The raven-haired boy looked mildly uncomfortable, but didn't move as they joined him in watching the volleyball game. Tanaka was still goofing around with Hinata, and Yamaguchi was consoling an annoyed Tsukki.

"What did you have before you came?" You asked Noya, placing one hand on his shoulder and forcing him to look at you. You'd put the other one on his other shoulder, but it was still restricted from the lime green cast. 

Nishinoya looked into your eyes, and you held back a blush. They were beautiful, you could just drown in the chocolate hues.

"Saeko let me have one of her energy drinks." He said, almost ashamed. You blinked, everything making sense. The boy was a ball of energy on a regular day, pairing him with a drink full of sugar and caffeine wasn't the best idea.

"But I only accepted because I was nervous." Noya's words made you brow crinkle in confusion.

"Nervous about what?"

"Coming here."

"You've been to my apartment before, why would this time be any different?" You asked.

"It's just different because Daichi's here, too." Noya said, very quietly. You swore you'd never heard the boy speak so softly in his life, and you almost did a double-take. Nishinoya, the energetic, spunky, fun-loving guy you knew him to be, was nervous because his captain came to the party too?

Or maybe it was the fact that his captain came, and he was also dating you? You cursed yourself, remembering how Noya had said seeing you with Daichi was weird because he's his captain.

"Oh." You said, blinking rapidly. Not sure what else to do, you let your hand fall to your side, turning to retrieve a glass from the cupboard and filling it with water.

Shoving the glass into Noya's hand, you smiled at his questioning face.

"Drink this, and make sure you eat something. That should help the antsy feeling go away." 

Nishinoya blushed as you steered him to the counter, upon which Suga had outlaid many bowls of snacks and treats.

"Thanks." He said, relishing the feeling of your hands on his shoulders.

But one call from Daichi, calling from across the apartment that the grill was ready, and you were off, carrying a plate of raw meat to join him. 

Noya's blush turned into an angry flush, and he munched on some pretzels as he glared at the pair of you. Sure, Asahi was there too, using tongs to flip over meat, but watching you and Daichi get along so well angered Nishinoya to his very core.

And the look in Daichi's eyes when he called you to him, he looked downright malicious. Noya frowned as he watched his captain, jealousy building in his stomach. Suddenly losing his appetite, he slunk over to Tanaka, and tried to get back into the spirit of the party.

\---

Minutes later, and the loud sounds of conversation and laughter were replaced with quiet chewing, and the occasional laugh. 

The barbecue was, of course, a hit with the first-years, and it might have been a trick of the light, but you swore you saw Kageyama give you a small smile when you handed him a plate of delicious-smelling barbecued meats. 

You continued to help Asahi grill, so that the rest could eat soon, too. Soon, the plate of raw meat was empty, and everyone was munching hungrily. All was quiet for a while, and you yourself ate quite a bit, but quickly jumped up as soon as you were done so you could clear away empty plates. 

Calling for Saeko to help you, you received a disgruntled groan. The blonde was sunk in the couch, clearly in a food coma. Rolling your eyes, you grabbed her empty plate off her lap, circling around the room to gather the rest. You were getting ready to receive Yamaguchi's plate, walking over to him.

To your surprise, someone got to the pinch-setter first, retrieving the plate with a flashy grin at you. You smiled warmly. Nishinoya had gotten up from his position on the floor to help you out, and you'd be damned if it didn't make your heart beat quicker.

"Aw, thanks, Noya!" You said, right before Noya yanked Tsukki's plate from his hands, almost forcefully. The glasses-wearing middle blocker glowered at the libero, who was already skipping to the kitchen. You apologized to Tsukki profusely, and the blond's look softened ever-so-slightly, though he still wore a scowl.

Unbeknownst to you, Daichi was watching Noya skip around the kitchen, as he scraped plates and rinsed them helpfully. His eyes went from the shorter boy to you, still collecting plates, and Daichi noticed you would look over at the shorter boy way too often to be normal. Narrowing his eyes, he glared at the libero from his spot on the couch.

Shivering slightly, Nishinoya felt Daichi's cold gaze, but shook it off. He had thrown himself back in the game by being a courteous guest, before Daichi could get the opportunity. 

The brown-haired boy held onto that victory throughout the rest of the evening, sticking behind as the rest of his teammates filed out. Tanaka stayed back, too, as well as Saeko. Daichi was one of the last to leave, and only at the behest of Suga, who was rather wine-drunk.

Saeko laughed with the gray-haired man, promising to meet up with him with more wine another time, before Suga teetered over to Daichi, telling him it was time to go. The taller man nodded, going to say goodbye to you. You smiled at him, cheeks flushed from a few hard lemonades.

You were speechless when Daichi leaned in and kissed you on one heated cheek, the pink in your face deepening to a soft red. He squeezed your hand, interlocking his fingers with yours and bringing your hand up to his lips. He kept eye contact as he pressed a sweet kiss to the top of your hand, and you smiled in a dazed way at him.

Nishinoya practically gnashed his teeth when he saw Daichi doing that, and Tanaka had to pull him outside onto the balcony so Noya wouldn't jump and assault his captain. The bald man stared from his best friend's furious face to the scene in front of him, and suddenly everything clicked.

Nishinoya liked you. Tanaka stared into empty space for a minute, trying to process this. His first thought was whether Saeko noticed, and he looked over at the blonde woman, who was leaning against the counter across the apartment, staring at Nishinoya's angered face coolly. She had to know. He'd have to bug Saeko later for all the details, see if she noticed it too.

Needless to say, Noya was thrilled when Daichi finally left the apartment, only returning into the apartment when the front door had swung shut behind him. 

Now, the only ones who remained were yourself, Saeko, Tanaka, and Noya. 

Turning to your friends, you smiled.

"This was a great night."

Saeko smirked, reaching into her bag.

"It really was, and you know what'll make it ten times better?" 

You groaned, and she snickered, pulling out a rather thick DVD holder.

"Every Indiana Jones movie in one night. Come on, we can totally do this." She said, nudging you and letting out a barking laugh. Tanaka sighed, pinching his nose.

"It is so late, Saeko. There's no way we'll stay awake for four movies."

Glancing at the clock, Tanaka's claim was confirmed; it was already past 11. 

"The first person to fall asleep gets written on in Sharpie." Saeko said firmly, striding to the DVD player and shoving in the first Indiana Jones movie. You sighed, strolling to your room. 

"I'm assuming you guys will be sleeping over, then?" You asked dejectedly. You were truly exhausted after hosting the party, and thought of your bed longingly.

"You bet!" Saeko said in a lively manner, bouncing over to join you on your march to your bedroom.

"So, I'm guessing you guys need clothes to wear?" You asked, turning to face your three friends, who grimaced.

"Yeah, sort of." Noya said, and you gave him a resigned look. He shrugged, giving you a small smile. You supposed he shouldn't sleep in an uncomfortable button-up and trousers, they all probably deserved pajamas. Even though they were crashing your apartment and invading your sleep schedule.

"Fine, follow me." 

You shoved pairs of pajamas at each friend, certain that your clothes would at least fit Saeko and Nishinoya. Tanaka, on the other hand, was a few inches taller than all of you, and grimaced when you handed him a pair of too-short sweats and a shirt that was way too small for him.

"Sorry." You said sincerely, but he waved you off. 

"No worries, I can sleep in my boxers on the couch. I'll just wear what I have on now for the movies."

You nodded, turning to see Noya strip his shirt and pants off without another word. 

"What are you doing?!" Saeko yelled, covering her eyes, while you just gawked at Noya's boxers; you couldn't resist staring at his abs, either. Tanaka laughed wildly, exiting the room to settle down on the couch. Noya jumped at Saeko's shriek, shrugging.

"Come on, you guys have seen me change before." Noya pulled on the white tee you had given him, along with the grey sweats. They fit him nicely, and you couldn't help but smirk to yourself. It was always funny that he could fit into your clothes. 

Saeko huffed, shooing him out of the room and closing the door. 

The second you two were alone, she turned on you.

"What was that back there?!"

Flabbergasted, you blinked at her, managing a "W-What?" 

"With Yuu! You couldn't keep your eyes off him all throughout the party, and Daichi definitely noticed!" Saeko said, exasperated as she smacked you on the back of the head before continuing. You yelped, rubbing the spot she'd hit.

"If you're going to date Daichi, you better handle these feelings for Yuu, and by handle, I mean get rid of! It's not fair to Daichi." Saeko said seriously, crossing her arms before turning to change into the comfier clothes you handed her.

Biting your lip, you felt your throat tighten as guilt flooded your body. Daichi had seen all of that? It wasn't even anything illegal, you were just looking at your friend. You and Daichi weren't even officially dating. But, of course, Daichi's always been extra sensitive when it came to Nishinoya, especially since you two were so close. 

Saeko was right, it really wasn't fair of you to hold a torch for Noya while dating someone else.

"Ugh, you're right." You finally said, as you unzipped your skirt and pulled on some sweats. Funnily enough, you were matching with Noya, with the white tee and grey sweats. It made your heart warm, and you quashed those feelings as much as possible, in light of Saeko's last words.

"I just...don't know how. I don't know if I want to, either." 

Saeko turned back to face you, surprised at your words. Her expression softened as she saw tears fill your eyes, and she pulled you into a tight hug, squeezing you reassuringly. You gulped, the tears falling before you could stop them, and you wrapped your arms around your best friend. 

"It's okay, you're alright." Saeko murmured to you, patting you on the back as you cried into her shoulder. It wasn't fair, you thought to yourself, you never asked to fall in love with Nishinoya. 

Letting out a rattling sigh, you pulled away from the blonde, giving her a watery smile as you wiped at your eyes. 

"Sorry for being so blunt." Saeko said, squeezing your shoulder. You shook your head.

"No, no, you're completely right. I'm just not sure if I can suddenly stop feeling like this towards Noya." You said, sniffling.

"That's okay, I know you'll figure it out. Let's get you cleaned up and watch some Indiana Jones." Saeko said comfortingly, shoving some tissues in your face.

By the time you two entered the living room, your face was dry and your breathing was normal. Your eyes were slightly red, but if the boys noticed anything, they didn't mention it. Tanaka sat on the far end of the couch, and Saeko plopped down next to him. You sat next to Noya, who was on the other end of the couch. 

"Ready?" Tanaka asked, and the three of you nodded.

Pressing play, Tanaka laid back, hands behind his head. Within the first three minutes, he'd closed his eyes, and half an hour into the movie, he was lightly snoring. 

You didn't look over until you heard the sound of a cap being snapped off, and gawked at the sight of Saeko drawing a mustache onto Tanaka's face, an evil grin on her face.

"Serves him right, falling asleep first." She said in response to your mortified face, and Noya snickered. The libero shifted his feet, and you blushed, realizing how close you were to him. You'd practically laid your head on his shoulder, and started to move away when Nishinoya caught your hand.

"Don't be afraid to sleep, Tanaka's the loser who went first." Nishinoya said, grinning at you and practically pressing your head onto his chest. Your face was on fire as you adjusted to this new position, but you soon got comfortable, ignoring the reality that you were snuggling with the libero. You couldn't bear to think about Daichi any more, and instead focused on the movie.

Your previous tiredness had melted away in response to the adrenaline you'd felt at cuddling with Noya, and you were now wide-awake. Your eyes were peeled open long after Saeko had fallen asleep, her gentle snoring marring the sound of the second Indiana Jones movie (Saeko had switched the DVDs when the first movie ended, just before drifting off).

Noya was still awake, too, but he didn't move around too much, for fear of disturbing your position. 

About three quarters of the way through the movie, you felt his hand touch yours, and you immediately stiffened in response. This wasn't right, Daichi didn't deserve this. You wanted to jerk yourself out of Nishinoya's grasp and lock yourself in your room, but couldn't bring yourself to leave his warm presence. 

The smell of cinnamon filled your nostrils as you turned your face into his chest, accompanied by traces of cologne; so it _had_ been Noya's cologne you'd smelled earlier, when they first arrived. You smiled to yourself, taking in the experience of being this close to him.

"This one's so bad compared to the rest." You whispered as the movie progressed, so as not to wake the others. Noya chuckled, and you could hear the vibrations from your position on his chest.

"Yeah, it really is." He agreed.

You swallowed thickly, listening to the sound of Noya's heartbeat. It was strong, and steady.

A tap on your shoulder made you look up at the libero, but rather than being met with those beautiful eyes, you were met with a kiss right on the lips.

Nishinoya had steeled himself to make a move, unable to think of anything else while he was pressed so close to you. Part of him felt for Daichi, but as far as he knew, you had neither kissed Daichi yet, nor gone on a second date. 

The second you'd looked up, Noya took his chance, pressing his lips to yours in a reckless leap of faith.

You were in complete shock, the feeling of Noya's lips against yours oddly comforting. Soon, you were kissing him back, enjoying the fiery feeling in your stomach and cheeks. Nishinoya's eyes flew open when he felt you reciprocate, rather surprised but enthusiastically continuing to kiss you, knotting a hand in your hair.

His free hand slid down your back to rest at your bottom, squeezing it boldly. You let out a surprised moan against his lips, and you felt Noya smirk against yours. Cheeky as always.

It was only when Noya swiped his tongue at your mouth's entrance that you realized exactly what was happening, and pulled away hastily. 

"U-Um," The libero said articulately (not), biting his lip and going red, "I-"

But you had already fled, leaping off the couch and rushing to your room, closing the door with a snap.

You leaned against your door, staring into your dark room, but not really seeing anything.

Your fingers were over your lips, which parted as panicked pants escaped you.

There was one thing you told yourself you would never do: take advantage of Nishinoya in any way, regardless of your feelings for him.

And you had just done it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh boy, things do be heating up!
> 
> Also don't mind me casually projecting my feelings about my relationship onto this fanfiction, I'm doing my best to make content that y'all, as well as myself, would like to see :) 
> 
> Ultimately though, writing this is helping me deal with problems I'm having in my life, and it's also helping me articulate my appreciation for Noya! A win-win, really!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright folks, this is the last official chapter of the story. An epilogue is soon to come, though, as well as a few "extra" one-shot type pieces featuring the reader and Noya!

You weren't sure for how long you stood there, in the dark quiet of your room, gasping for breath.

At one point, you were sure you were hyperventilating, and you squeezed your eyes shut. You wanted to break down right there, crawl into bed and cry yourself to sleep, but there were no tears left, it seemed. 

You merely stood, shuddering from a chill that wasn't from the cold. The feeling of guilt seeped into your skin, pooling on your epidermis and chilling you to the bone. Not able to bring yourself to move, you stood, motionless.

Nishinoya also sat, motionless, on the couch where you'd left him. He blinked, the sound of Indiana Jones still penetrating the background, but he didn't hear it at all. Gritting his teeth, Noya let out a strangled sound, putting his head in his hands. 

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." He spat into the darkness, illuminated by the TV screen in an eerie fashion. This was it, he had ruined everything. Not only did he insure that he'd never be close to you romantically, but Noya was certain he'd severed the familial bond the pair of you had built up over the past few years. There was no way this could resolve itself. 

Saeko and Tanaka were still asleep, though they had shifted in their places when your door slammed shut. Noya prayed they wouldn't wake, and thanked the gods when they remained fast asleep. 

Letting out a haggard sigh, the libero rose to his feet, working up the courage to go to you, to say something, anything. Anything that he could to take it back, anything he could to erase what he just did. It had been on a whim, a reckless decision, but that was nothing new for Noya.

He was widely known for being rash and hasty, that's how he'd gotten himself suspended from school on more than one ocassion. It was also how he'd ruined so many other things in his life, and how he would've ruined so many more if he hadn't been terrified as a kid. 

This one, though, this reckless impulse seemed the most devastating he'd ever acted on. Nearly falling off a cliff didn't compare to the rush of adrenaline right now, knowing you'd never speak to him again. He shouldn't have done it, you'd never forgive him.

A sniffle pierced the air, and Noya was shocked to realize he was crying, wiping his face with one hand, the other balled up at his side, clenching the grey sweats you'd lent him. He couldn't just take it back, or pretend like he hadn't relished the feeling of yours lips against his.

The night was spent in misery and pain, for both of you. Trapped in your separate terrors, you both suffered in silence, praying the other couldn't feel your cries for help. At one point, you crawled onto your bed, not bothering to get under the covers. You deserved the cold, to be left out in the cold.

Sleep overtook you sometime around 4am, but Noya stayed awake on the couch, staring into space until the early morning sunlight filtered through the living room blinds. His eyes were glued open, it seemed, and the brown hues appeared glassy as the sound of birds chirping and joggers bustling along filled the outside air. 

It was only when Saeko and Tanaka awoke, sometime around 8am, that Nishinoya was forced out of his coma. The siblings could immediately tell something was wrong, but when inquired as to what happened, Noya merely shook his head slightly, lips parted and eyes staring. Saeko entered your room quietly, and upon seeing you fast asleep, left just as quietly.

She'd have to beat the truth out of you later, because right now, Nishinoya was a wreck. 

Tanaka, confused as anything else, waved his hand in front of Noya's face, saying "Oi! You alive?" with no response. 

It was only on the car ride back to Tanaka's house that the brunette boy spoke at all, and it was as though he'd been awoken from a deep sleep. It happened jarringly, and Saeko nearly swerved into a trash can. Noya bolted up, eyes widening.

"I-I didn't mean to." He said, staring right in front of him. Tanaka twisted in his seat to look back at his best friend, who was safely in the back but shivering like crazy. 

"Didn't mean to do what? What happened, man?"

Nishinoya shook his head, sinking back into his seat, tugging at his seat belt as Saeko continued down the road.

"Have to go back, have to explain." He said, unbuckling his seat belt and preparing to open the door.

"YUU, DON'T YOU DARE OPEN THAT DOOR!" 

Saeko's scream caused the libero to jump, and his hand left the door handle to fall limply at his side. Tears filled his eyes, and he wiped at them roughly, feeling like an idiot.

"I-I'm so stupid." He said, and Tanaka stared at him. 

Saeko's voice spoke once more, but she didn't look back at him, instead keeping her gaze on the road, hands firmly at ten-and-two.

"Whatever happened, we'll fix it later. Don't go leaping out of a moving car, you'll only hurt yourself."

Noya squeezed his eyes shut at that. That was what he did best, hurting people. It was no surprise he'd hurt himself eventually, doing something reckless and pathetic. He'd already hurt you - broke your wrist and then kissed you, for good measure. He was sure you hated him, and that hurt him like nothing else could. 

Pressing his cheek against the window, Noya closed his eyes.

\---

Your eyes opened, long after your friends had vacated your apartment. 

It was late morning, and you were still laying on your bed, where you'd left yourself before drifting off. A blanket had been draped over you, you realized as you shifted in your place.

Someone had been in here, had covered you up. You sat up, the knitted blanket sliding down your torso. Rubbing your arm, you found it to be chilly; it must have been sticking out from under the blanket as you slept.

It wasn't hard, sliding off your bed and gently tossing the blanket to the side. Even opening your bedroom door slowly and peeking out to your empty living room was easy, and you sighed with relief that your friends had gone. 

Padding your way to the bathroom, and stripping off your clothes from the night before wasn't difficult, either. You turned the shower on, waiting for the water to emit steam before you stepped inside.

Getting dressed after your shower wasn't hard, nor was brushing your teeth, nor was grabbing your keys in response to your stomach growling so loudly. Food was on your mind, not Nishinoya. Not Saeko, not Tanaka, and certainly not Daichi.

You were down two flights of stairs when things got hard. You had accidentally looked down at your cast, a dull green color in the faded lights that illuminated the stairwell. 

'Yuu' was there, in Noya's large, scrawled handwriting. Slapping a hand to your mouth, you let out a choked sob, sinking onto the stairs.

"Yuu." You whispered, and the silent, empty space around you held its breath, allowing the libero's name to reverberate off the walls and bounce back in an assault of echoes that had no right to be that loud. 

You had kissed him; well, no, he had kissed you. But you hadn't pulled away, you'd let him kiss you, had welcomed it even. Feeling his lips against yours felt so meant-to-be, so perfect. You'd kissed your fair share of guys in the past, but nothing was in comparison to the sheer love you felt in that moment. 

Noya was special; he had a heart of gold, he was stubborn as hell, and probably had more determination than you could ever have. Never had great grades, never was very slick with the ladies, and maybe he was a little childish every now and again, but you didn't care. He'd been like that for as long as you've known him, since grade school, and you weren't about to throw that all away to save face.

Taking a deep breath, you stood, almost stumbling from trying to steady yourself with your cast-clad arm.

You needed to find him. Figure out what exactly was happening.

Because as much as you kept telling yourself how horrid you were for kissing him back, the fact that he kissed you first meant _something_ , right?

Maybe - and you cursed yourself for being so hopeful - he loved you, too.

\---

You stared at your car, parked in the complex below your apartment building.

Your eyes went from your keys, clutched in one hand, to your other hand, cocooned in its lime cast.

A quick Internet search had told you that it was, indeed, possible to drive with one arm. It wasn't without consequence, and every reputable source told you that it was recommended to wait until months after the injury occurred, to be safe and avoid aggravating it.

Pressing your lips together, you counted up the days that had passed since the accident. A little under two weeks? 

For Noya, you'd drive to him even if all the bones in your body were broken. Guffawing to yourself at how dramatic that sounded in your head, you unlocked the door, resolve coursing through your veins. Time to drive, baby.

Putting the car in reverse and backing out of your parking space was the hardest part of the operation, only having one arm to do it, but once you got on the road, everything was smooth sailing. You flew down the main road, jerking a left turn when it was called for, one-handed. 

The Tanaka household wasn't too far from your apartment, though it was down a few windy side streets. You'd called Saeko ahead, and she had confirmed that yes, indeed, the shorter libero was there, sulking his ass off (her words, not yours).

You'd parked in front of their house hundreds of times before, from the time you'd learned how to drive. Promises of a fun party, or a chill movie night, or a wild night on the town with Saeko awaited every time you pulled up. The best times were when you showed up after a volleyball game, where you'd bound into their house after having watched Tanaka and Noya kick ass on the court.

You'd congratulate them, giving Noya a spine-crushing hug that squeezed the air out of him. Then, you'd bring out a few Gari Gari Kun popsicles, thrusting them into Noya's arms with a "you earned these". That never failed to cause the libero to jump with excitement, and Saeko would glare at you for giving him even more adrenaline, tucked away inside those blue wrappers, labled 'soda-flavored'. 

The look on Nishinoya's face was worth it, though. His eyes, which usually sparkled with exhilaration on a typical day, would snap with a kind of electricity at being brought something he loved - _by someone he loved_.

Blinking, you bit your lip, careening slowly down their home street. That last part might be wishful thinking, but wouldn't someone light up even more because their gift was from someone they cared about?

You pushed on the brake, sliding the stick into park and pulling up the emergency brake. You sucked a breath in slowly, holding it as you let yourself out of your car.

Ringing the doorbell, you looked behind you in surprise, hardly registering you'd walked up the porch steps at all. 

_'Pull yourself together.'_ You said forcefully to yourself, though you couldn't help fidgeting with your keys. You stopped the jangling movement when you heard the door-knob twist open, bracing yourself for Saeko's barrage of questions and staring at the floor.

When the yells never came, you blinked, turning your head up so you could see Saeko's disapproving face. 

Instead, you found yourself staring at none other than Nishinoya.

You gawked, lost in his pretty eyes. You scanned his face, trying to catch a glimpse of what he was feeling, but saw nothing. 

Noya cleared his throat, stepping outside and closing the door behind him. Confused, you made to speak, but a ruckus from just inside the house tore your attention away from the libero. Tanaka wrenched open the door, bounding out and down the drive; Saeko followed suit, at a slower pace, stopping to pat you on the shoulder.

"I'm driving Ryu to practice. Can you take Yuu? I'd take him, but you two need to hash this shit out."

You narrowed your eyes at her, but she pressed on, giving you a closed-eye smile.

"Besides, what better place to talk than in the car?"

You internally gnashed your teeth at the sight of Saeko's disappearing back, and settled for giving her the stink-eye instead. Noya let out a nervous laugh at that, and you gave him your attention once more, noticing he had his gym bag on his shoulder.

"Well, I guess we're driving you to practice now." You said, defeated.

The car ride was more awkward than you anticipated, despite feeling you'd been prepared for such an awkward encounter. You chewed your lip, and the silence grew. Noya's eyes were on the outside scenery, and a quick side-glance told you he was really feeling down, his face empty and his mouth down-turned. _'I wonder why'_ , you thought sarcastically to yourself.

Finally, you spoke, unable to handle the quiet.

"Yuu..."

Noya turned his head from the window to look at you, face unreadable. It wasn't natural, you thought, shivering. His emotions could always be plainly read on his face, that was one of Nishinoya's biggest give-away's, but right now, he was basically a blank slate.

You gulped.

"I...don't really know what to say." You said, feeling idiotic.

A brief silence, all the while Noya looking at you, and then:

"I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not." The brunette libero said sharply.

Your eyes widened, and you looked away from him, at the road in front of you. Karasuno was fast approaching, the tops of the tall grey buildings in sight.

"Kissing you was something I've wanted to do for a really long time. I'm not going to apologize for it, especially since I know for a _fact_ you feel the same way."

Noya sounded angry, and frankly, you had no clue as to why. 

"W-What do you mean?"

"Saeko told me you liked me back." Noya said, matter-of-factly. 

You made a mental note to punch her in the face the next time you saw her, which would likely be soon, as the parking lot was in view. 

Noya made to speak again, but you cut him off.

"She's right." You said, surprising him. "But I'm sure she didn't tell you that I've felt this way for years. _Years_ , Yuu. You're one of my best friends, we've known each other for so long, and I've always wanted to protect you. Tanaka's like a little brother to me, and I really tried to treat you that way, too. Like a little brother."

Noya scoffed.

"You're ridiculous. All this time...and your excuse is you tried to stifle the fact that you loved me?"

You pulled into a parking spot at the far end of the school, near the volleyball gym. Saeko's car was already there, a few spaces down from yours, but it was vacant. The pair had already entered the building.

"I'm not a child, Y/N - we're barely a year apart! It pisses me off that you - that you felt justified in writing me off like that!"

Noya's voice had risen to a shout, and you avoided looking at him, suddenly finding the material of your steering wheel cover very interesting.

A hand extended itself towards you, tilting your face towards the boy in front of you. You stared into Nishinoya's eyes, alit with frustration. They were still beautiful, those brown hues, even when on fire. 

A thumb rubbed your cheek, and you realized you were crying. 

"I love you. Don't you get that?" Noya said, a grin breaking across his face, despite his obvious anger.

You nodded, throwing your arms around his neck and burying your face in his shoulder. A muffled sound, that could've been 'I love you, too', came from your covered mouth, and Noya chuckled, rubbing your back.

"That's obvious by now, big brain." He said softly.

When you pulled back, wiping the tears from your face, Noya had a loving look on his face, the corners of his mouth quirked up. 

"What's with you?" You asked, punching him on the shoulder.

"Oh, come on! We love each other, isn't that crazy? Don't mind me smiling about it, you'll have to get used to that." Noya said, looping an arm around your shoulder and kissing you on the cheek.

You giggled, pulling his face towards yours to kiss him full on the lips. 

Noya melted into your kiss, relishing the taste of your rose-flavored lip balm. He tangled a hand in your hair, as he'd done the night before, causing you to smile against his lips. You were bursting with happiness, your heart full and warm, and yet...you couldn't help but feel as though you were forgetting something.

Pulling away at feeling that strange sensation, you blinked, furrowing your brow. 

Was there something you were forgetting? 

Just then, Noya tugged on your sleeve, and you lazily looked over at him, before straightening up at his expression. His eyes were wide, and his pupils were dilated. His skin was white, and he pointed off into the distance, towards the gym. 

You followed his gaze, and nearly had a heart attack.

Daichi stood, frozen mid-step, as though he'd been walking towards your car. He was halfway towards his destination, and he looked - shocked. The shock quickly melted into anger, however, and the dark-haired man turned on his heel, stalking back the way he'd come towards the gym. 

"Ah, fuck." You muttered, opening the car door and scrambling out, rushing after Daichi. Noya sat in the car, watching you go for a minute, before slowly getting out himself. He carefully closed the car door, shouldering his gym bag.

There were no perks in this case, no upside to making out with the captain's crush - date person, whatever. And yet, Nishinoya couldn't keep a grin off of his face as he trudged towards the gym after you two. Daichi could beat the living daylights out of him, but Noya would still have _you_.

Meanwhile, you had nearly caught up with the angrily departing captain. You grabbed his arm, panting.

Daichi turned to face you, and you cringed at the furious look on his face. 

"I-" You started, but Daichi waved you off, pressing his lips together in an attempt to keep calm. 

"Don't. Just - don't." 

"Daichi, I'm sorry." You said, letting go of his arm and straightening up. 

The man sighed, and looked less angry.

"Just...why?" He asked, pleadingly almost.

"You're the best guy a girl could ask for." You said, and you meant it. You continued.

"It's my fault for not realizing it, but I had feelings for someone else. Pretty stupid, really, and I'm really sorry for putting you through this. You deserve better."

Daichi looked at the ground, then back to your eyes. There was a sad gleam within them, a dull pain reflecting.

"Why him?" He finally said, balling a fist.

You sighed, shaking your head.

"Believe me, if it was my decision, I wouldn't have gone for him -"

"HEY, DON'T BE RUDE!" An angry yell came from behind you, and you blanched. Nishinoya had come up, and he was glaring at you, but grabbed your hand nonetheless, intertwining your fingers. 

Daichi's eye twitched, and you shoved Noya away gently. 

"Not the time, Yuu. Go inside, I'll be there in a minute." You said, rather patiently, and Nishinoya pouted, but listened and skipped off towards the gym. You could've sighed with relief, knowing the boy had been seconds away from being murdered by his captain. 

"Sorry, he's -" You started, but Daichi laughed, doubling over in his mirth. You gaped at him, completely shocked. How could he laugh at a time like this?!

"I guess it's pretty fitting. You're probably the only person he actually listens to." Daichi said, straightening back up and giving you a bittersweet smile.

"All the same, my behavior towards you was shitty...And, if I was going to answer your question, well, Noya's just..." You searched your brain for the right word, waving your hand a bit in the air.

Daichi smiled, a real smile. 

"I get it. Don't worry about it. I'm happy for you guys." His words rang with truth, though he still looked rather put out.

Your heart clenched, but you couldn't help but smile. Because right here, right now, you'd set the record straight, from the denial with Yuu to the kerfuffle with Daichi.

"Thanks, Daichi."

Summer was waning, you realized as you walked towards the gym to watch Noya, leaving Daichi to stand alone. 

The wind was shifting to the east, it tousled and caressed your hair as it blew by. 'It's going to rain', you mused to yourself, taking in the smell of leaves and humid air. This chapter of your lives had been - full, to say the least. Adventures and far too many action movies had been conquered, and one too many hard lemonades slurped down to boot. 

It had gone so fast, it seemed. 

Finally reaching the mouth of the open gym doors, you leaned against the door frame, hugging yourself as the wind blew by once more, chilling your bare shoulders. No more tank-tops for you, it would soon be time for sweaters and long pants.

You beamed at nothing in particular as you imagined going to get coffee or hot cocoa with Nishinoya, baking those little Halloween-themed sugar cookies you both loved, screaming at dramatic parts in those action movies he loved so much - in the theater, too, no less; Noya was never one for subtlety. 

You just couldn't wait.

Your fingers moved across your cast, tracing Noya's signature effortlessly as you peered into the lit gym, watching the guys practice. Noya was paired up with Tanaka, and they were eagerly talking back and forth as they passed; likely recounting the dramatic tale of your and Noya's getting-together. Tanaka grinned upon seeing you across the room in the doorway, giving you a big thumbs-up.

You waved in response, laughing. 

Saeko sidled up to you, dragging you into the gym.

"You're going to catch cold, it got nippy out there." She said, tossing you her sweater.

"Tch, I'm fine. I'm great, in fact."

"I bet you are." She said, smirking.

You hardly heard her, eyes fixed on the one man who had your heart. He was small in comparison to the rest of the players, and completely reckless in every regard, leaving a trail of flaming wreckage in his wake without meaning to. Nishinoya looked up, over at you, giving you a coy wink before returning to his passing. 

"What did I tell ya? The guy's into older women." 

Saeko's words made you laugh, and you punched her on the shoulder, grinning from ear to ear. 

Looking back at Noya, however, your expression softened, heart fluttering.

"I guess you were right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to everyone who read and kudos'd and commented, I still would've posted all this regardless, but it's a pretty sweet ego-boost knowing some of my writing makes people out there smile :)
> 
> Stay tuned for the epilogue, as well as some bonus "shorts"! Get ready for a tidal wave of fluff and comfort! Y'all earned it.


	11. Epilogue

You paced around your apartment, going from your kitchen to your living room, where your roommate sat, to your bedroom, where Noya currently sat on your bed, watching you. 

"Where are they?" You mutter, shoving aside a tall stack of papers on your desk. A couple textbooks slid off your bed as Noya shifted his weight, and they crashed to the floor. 

"A-Ah, sorry." He said sheepishly as you whirled around, diving down to grab them. 

To say you were a little frazzled was an understatement; it was almost finals week, of your second semester of college. Your first year was almost over, and you wanted to be done with all the stress and pain of studying into the wee hours of the night.

Classes were hard, but you knew they would be. A pre-veterinary track was nothing to sneeze at, and you weren't at your most relaxed right now, to say the least. Weeks and weeks of studying and preparation, and Noya had been there for all of it; every all-nighter, every panic-run to Ukai's convenience store for more coffee grounds, every nap you took in between filling out extensive study guides.

Nishinoya had even helped quiz you, drilling you on every difficult formula from all of your hard science and math classes, from chemistry to physics to calculus. Noya was so adamant about helping you study that he ended up turning the entire thing into a competition, doing his best to make the experience interactive.

And to be honest, it was kind of hot, the way he'd look at you in that fiery way, brandishing a flashcard between two fingertips. His voice was always encouraging, but firm at the same time; he always gave you a treat or present for having gotten an answer right, and you grew to look forward to those time he'd quiz you. 

The best times were when you'd get disinterested in the flashcards, gaze traveling elsewhere, and your boyfriend would start tickling you, kissing all over your face, bringing up your shirt to blow raspberries on your stomach. You hadn't laughed so hard in all your life, and Noya's triumphant face made your head spin as you'd bring him in for a kiss.

One time, Noya sounded so teasing while quizzing you that you jumped him, knocking the flashcards right out of his hands and bowling him over on the bed. His shocked face had quickly turned devious, and he pulled your face to his, kissing you deeply.

Suffice to say that your quizzing sessions with the boy were hit or miss, half of them ending in passionate make-outs. Ah, well.

This time, you were looking for a very specific set of flashcards; they contained examples of logarithmic differentiation and substitution, and you desperately needed them. 

You stuck your head under your bed, glancing around underneath before popping back out and scanning your room. Noya spoke up.

"Hey, I'm sure you'll find them before the final."

You nodded, half-paying attention, half-looking for the notes.

"Saeko and Tanaka are waiting for us, we should probably get going." 

"Yeah." You murmured, giving your room another sweep with your eyes. A hand pulled your arm, and you fell onto your bed, face-up. Nishinoya loomed over you, grinning.

"Babe, you're the smartest person I know. You're going to do great, you've been working so hard for this." 

He tilted your chin up so he had better access, and kissed you. Instantly melting into your boyfriend's touch, you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer. Noya took the opportunity to push his tongue into your mouth, and you moaned lightly.

Things quickly took a heated turn, with Nishinoya using one hand to unhook your bra, and the other to palm your clothed lower regions. You almost laughed against his lips; he was always one to take things fast, and an innocent kiss often turned into much, much more - not that you were complaining. The libero gasped as you rubbed at his tightening pants, and you relished his sounds.

You were about to undo Noya's belt when your phone buzzed. Waiting for it to go away, Noya broke away from your lips to yank your head back, exposing your neck for him. He kissed up and down it, laving it with his tongue and sucking.

The buzzing of your phone didn't stop, and you knew it was a call. 

Sighing heavily, you tapped your boyfriend's shoulder, and he pulled away, blinking at you. 

"Hello?" You said, answering the call.

"Where are you guys?"

Saeko's voice was on the other end, and you smacked your forehead.

"Sorry, sorry, I was studying a bit more."

Noya raised a brow, silently saying 'like hell you were' with a grin curling onto his lips.

"We'll be there soon." You said, smiling.

A pause, and then - "Alright, see you soon."

You hung up, and gave Nishinoya the evil eye. His face fell when he realized you two would be stopping your canoodling, and you laughed, ruffling his hair.

"Don't worry, we're sleeping over at Saeko's, remember? She's letting us have the den."

Noya's face brightened, and he punched the air in victory.

"Hell yes!" 

Frankly, Nishinoya had been spoiled by now. You let him sleep over at your apartment so many times, you were sure his parents hated you by now. Or maybe they loved you, considering Noya could be a handful, and he actively spent all of his time with you, not them.

By now, you'd learned that the libero liked being the little spoon, but only if you initiated it; he would never admit to preferring to be the little spoon, and always denied it with a blush when you brought it up. 

You'd learned that Noya's sleep schedule was a downright mess - one morning, he'd wake up at the crack of dawn, at full energy capacity and sprinting around the kitchen to make you breakfast, but another morning, he would sleep right through all of his alarms, snoozing until at least three in the afternoon, unable to be woken up.

Though, you had noticed it was only when Noya was flat-out exhausted from a game or training camp that he'd sleep in so late, and that made you smile.

Not only was his sleep schedule rather odd, you had to buy three times the amount of food you usually did to satiate his appetite. The silver lining was that you'd become a much better cook since Noya had been hanging around. You also always had Gari-Gari Kun popsicles on hand, which was a plus on those hot days.

You were starting to get used to his oddities and quirks, and learning a new one always made you beam. The fact you got to witness all of these, be privy to such mundane, but private, information, was amazing to you.

A dopey grin had crossed your face, and you were staring up at Noya, who was still straddling you, hands on your stomach to hold himself up. He flushed a dark red.

"W-What are you staring at?" 

He let out a noise of surprise as you rolled over, putting him below you. Shoving your face into his chest, you grinned.

"Nothing. I'm just really happy."

Noya smiled, running a hand through your hair.

"Me too."

\---

The two of you were ridiculously late to Saeko's; not that anything special was happening, you guys were just supposed to watch this brand new movie that was sold out everywhere. 

Tanaka had supposedly pirated it, and this was confirmed as you walked through the door and saw him fiddling with the TV, trying to make it work with the bootleg DVD.

"Stupid freaking TV, take the disc!" He was muttering to himself, hardly noticing you and Nishinoya come in. Saeko was in the kitchen, and she called a greeting to you with her back turned; the blonde was taking a baking sheet out of the oven, and a sniff of the air told you they were chocolate chip cookies.

"You made cookies?" You asked, rushing into the kitchen to join Saeko by the still-hot pan.

"You bet. Had enough time considering how late you guys were."

The back-handed response left you scowling, and you smacked Saeko's shoulder, annoyed at her passive aggressiveness.

"My finals are next week, I need to keep my GPA up to get into a good graduate program." You said, crossing your arms defensively. Saeko laughed, but still appeared annoyed.

"You've been studying so much, though -" She started, and Noya chimed in, "That's for sure!" 

"It's true, we've only seen Noya in the last three weeks, and he's straight-up annoying without y-" Tanaka started jokingly, but the shorter libero pounced on him, tackling him to the ground in defiance.

"Jerk!" 

You laughed at their sprawled-out figures, and Saeko raised a brow.

"Speaking of classes, how are yours going, Yuu?" 

Noya stiffened, rolling off of Tanaka to rub his neck and laugh sheepishly.

"Well..."

Tanaka laughed, "Noya's never been a genius."

That earned him a punch on the shoulder from his friend, who was glaring and red with embarrassment. You giggled, while Saeko rolled her eyes.

"It's fine, I have enough brains for the both of us." You said teasingly, and Noya exclaimed, "Hey!" 

"I'm kidding! But honestly, Noya won't need academics when he goes pro." 

That caused Nishinoya's face to brighten considerably, forgetting the insult from before and jumping up to give you a one-armed hug. 

"Yeah!"

You smiled at him, before continuing as the four of you moved outside, seating yourselves at the glass patio table. Saeko had grabbed an armful of hard lemonades, and doled them out to each of you. Tanaka looked disgruntled at abandoning his position in front of the TV, but snapped off the top of his bottle all the same.

"Besides, I'll pull in a decent-enough salary soon, it should be enough to house both of us." 

Silence filled the backyard, and you stared at your best friends. Tanaka, who was directly across from you, looked completely taken aback.

"You mean..." Noya started, looking equally taken aback, but that look quickly melted into absolute glee, "...we're going to live together?" 

You went red, and Saeko clapped you on the back, beaming.

"Good for you guys!"

"W-Well, I just assumed..." You started, trailing off in embarrassment. Noya jumped up, high-fiving Tanaka.

"Yes, dude! I'm so proud of you!" Tanaka said, wiping a fake-tear from his eyes and simpering.

"When do I move in?"

Noya's words rendered you speechless, but you laughed suddenly, clutching your sides. When you got a hold of yourself, you wiped a tear from your eyes, looking at your boyfriend and smiling.

"To be honest, the only reason I didn't ask before is because you're still in high school."

Nishinoya's jaw dropped, and he looked incredulous, bursting out with "You mean I could have lived with you this entire time?!" 

"To be fair," Tanaka chimed in, "you're already at Y/N's most of the time. Every time I call, you're there."

Saeko nodded, adding "We always have to pick you up from her apartment." 

"Yeah, you're _whipped_ , bro."

Noya turned to bark at Tanaka, while you sunk into your chair, sipping your hard lemonade and thinking. It'd be nice to live with Yuu, officially. It'd been several months since you guys had started dating, and you were pleased to find that you got along well with the libero; neither of you had gotten sick of each other, though you _had_ gotten in a couple nasty arguments.

Overall, things were really great. You loved Nishinoya more than anything, and he returned the love tenfold, it seemed. Living with your love seemed more and more appealing the longer you thought about it, even with the drawbacks you knew it'd come with. 

"Hey, Yuu?" 

The brunette boy halted his argument with Tanaka to look at you, eyes as beautiful as ever.

"If you'd like, you can move in with me once you graduate. My roommate's leaving for summer vacation, so we won't be in her way."

"R-Really? Hell yeah! That's in like a month!" 

You were glomped by your boyfriend, who promptly began kissing you all over your face. Flushing, you couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably as he peppered you with pecks. Tanaka made gagging noises, and Saeko huffed.

"You guys are so cute, it's gross as hell." You didn't have to look over at your best friend to know that she was grinning.

"S-Shut up." was the best you could muster, happiness bubbling up inside as you beamed.

\--

Sure enough, the day he and Tanaka graduated was the day Noya moved into your apartment.

The ceremony was very heart-felt, Saeko cried profusely (but swore she would murder you if you said anything about it to her brother), and you got a little teary-eyed yourself. You felt so much pride for Nishinoya, beyond thrilled that he had made it.

You gave Noya flowers, which he accepted enthusiastically. Saeko was supposed to have a celebration party later that evening, but your boyfriend insisted on stopping by his house before heading there.

To your surprise, he really had all of his bags packed and ready to go; the suitcases were all lined up on his porch, and his parents were there to help you guys load them into your car. His mother cried a little bit, but gave you a tight hug. His dad gave you a smile and a handshake, sincerely wishing you good luck, causing Noya to balk in anger.

"Are you ready to live with me?" You asked him on the way back, and he nodded violently. A quiet silence formed between the pair of you, until you both grinned, yelling at the same time,

"WE'RE GONNA LIVE TOGETHER!! WOOO!!" 

The cheers caused passing pedestrians to gawk at you two, the open windows providing no insulation for your yells. You merely laughed at them as Noya continued cheering, your car shooting down the street towards your apartment complex.

By the time you and Nishinoya had gotten all of his bags up to the fourth floor, you were grinning like an idiot, jumping around just as much as the libero did on a normal day. Your roommate was cool with it, you were pleased to find out. 

"Oh my gosh, this means later tonight, you won't drop me off at my parents' house, you'll take me home because my home is here!" 

You laughed at Noya's words, bringing him in for a sweet kiss.

If only you knew just how wonderful life with Nishinoya would be, you'd be even more ecstatic than you already were. 

Summer came and went, with ice-cold drinks and sugary-watermelon kisses flitting in and out as the days passed by; the wind grew cold, and your second fall with Nishinoya yielded even more cinnamon-spiced drinks and pumpkin treats than the last one. Marathoning the Friday the 13th movies on Halloween reduced Noya to a screaming mess, and he was so terrified that he clung to you all night in bed.

Winter was arguably the most rewarding, the snow days bringing the two of you out of the apartment to play in the chilled air, making the largest snowman to ever exist. Noya lured Tanaka and Saeko over, promising to bake cookies with them, but ended up pelting them with snowballs when they stepped out of Saeko's van. You couldn't help but burst out laughing when this happened, helping to run Saeko into the building before Noya could assault her further.

You discovered that Nishinoya had a secret to his hot cocoa recipe; he added cinnamon, which you'd learned was his favorite spice of all time. It explained why he smelled like it all the time, he added it to every food possible.

"Even cereal?" You asked, gaping at your boyfriend as he sprinkled cinnamon onto his Cheerios one winter morning.

"You bet your butt even cereal." 

On Christmas morning, Noya lit up like he was a kid again, bounding out of bed and straight to your pitiful evergreen tree, slumping by the TV. You'd groaned when he returned and started bouncing on the bed, as you were still ridden with sleep.

"Yuu, it's six in the morning." You'd mumbled, shoving your face into your pillow. A sharp pain to the back of your head made you shoot up, and you realized your boyfriend had dropped your present onto your form. Noya grinned as you gave him the finger, ripping open the paper to reveal a small box.

"What is it?" You asked, looking up at him and wiping the sleep from your eyes.

"Open it, dummy."

You had opened the box to find...a string of beads? They were unusually big beads, and you stared at them in confusion before reaching out a hand to touch them. Upon realizing they were silicon, your eyes bugged out of your head, and you roared at your boyfriend, "ANAL BEADS? REALLY?" 

Nishinoya had busted out laughing, falling back onto the bed and clutching his sides. When his laughter subsided, he held out another box to you.

"Here's your real present."

You grinned as you opened the box, face lighting up when you saw it was tickets to Italy. 

"We're going to Italy?!"

"Yep, once your finals are over!" 

"We are going to eat so much pasta." 

"And pizza!"

"And gelato!" 

That had been your first Christmas together, but the next three proved to be equally perfect. You couldn't help but try to hold on as each season passed by, the feeling of time passing catching up to you.

Moving to a new apartment had been hectic, but well worth it after two years of sharing space with virtually a stranger (no offense to your roommate, but she smelled funny and had weird people over). Finally getting out of your roommate's hair was heaven, and you and Nishinoya could finally be completely alone.

The two of you were twenty then, a renewed fire in your eyes and hearts as you weathered bills and part-time jobs, on top of a college workload. Noya worked so many odd-jobs, including fish-mongering on the weekend mornings with a kooky old man, to help make ends meet.

"We're so young, but I feel so old." You'd moan, trying to avoid falling asleep at the wheel. No response from your boyfriend, he was knocked out in the passenger seat.

There were evenings you and Noya arrived home, and immediately collapsed on the couch, lazily holding hands as you dozed. Falling asleep on impact was a skill the two of you had mastered after many days of college classes, followed immediately by nights of hard work and interning. Both your and Noya's parents had chastised you two for being so stubborn, for working until you literally collapsed - but the pair of you merely laughed them off.

It would all pay off, you told yourself, and you knew Nishinoya was thinking the same thing.

When you stood on the stage at your college graduation, during your fourth spring with Nishinoya, you couldn't help but cry as the man jumped up and down on his chair, cheering for you. Of course, Saeko and Tanaka were there as well; the four of you had remained close, despite the time passing, and saw each other almost as often as you used to. Saeko had bought you the largest bouquet of flowers you'd ever seen; calla lilies, of course, one of your favorite flowers. 

Every Sunday, Tanaka would take it upon himself to barbecue on the new grill in the backyard. Nishinoya's twenty-first birthday had fallen on a Sunday one year, and Tanaka had bought out the entire meat section at the grocery store, hosting one of the largest barbecues ever. 

The entire Karasuno volleyball team, at least the old players, showed up, along with a few other friends of theirs from high school. You were shocked to see a few of them, certain they'd lost touch by now; Suga was now an elementary school teacher, Asahi a fashion designer, and Daichi a budding cadet in the police academy. Seeing Daichi after a couple years was jarring, but mildly pleasant.

Everything was water under the bridge, you were thankful to admit, and you two carried on a conversation until Noya pulled you away into the empty kitchen. You began to protest that it was rude to interrupt like that, but he held out a cupcake, that had a single lit candle on it, and you smiled exasperatedly.

"Happy birthday, Yuu." You said, and the boy grinned.

"Why thank you, my love. Will you blow the candle out with me? My wish has to do with you, after all."

You blushed, saying "Of course." 

Returning to the party was bittersweet, but Hinata immediately asked Noya about college, as he was going to the same university as you.

"What's your major?" The orange-haired, boisterous boy had asked your boyfriend.

"Sociology! I thought it sounded cool, and it's been pretty fun so far." 

It was true, Noya had only chosen the major because it sounded fun and easy, and because it gave him something to do while he was trying out for various professional volleyball teams. He wasn't discouraged yet at receiving no calls back, because he knew how difficult it was to attain that kind of job, especially for the travel groups.

You were nothing but supportive, and when Nishinoya got his first acceptance call from a pretty highly-ranked team, the pair of you danced around the apartment, screeching at the top of your lungs in celebration. Things were starting to come together, and Noya accepted the third team to call him, as they were the gig he was shooting for the entire time. 

As for you, you were gaining experience at a local veterinary clinic; it had been a close pick between yourself and another candidate, but you ended up with the position. All your years of hard work had paid off, and you were finally doing what you loved: helping animals. First day on the job, right before you left the apartment that morning, Noya had taken your wrist in his hand, inspecting it.

You asked what he was doing, and he laughed, turning those beautiful eyes onto you and causing your heart to pound.

"Just making sure it still works. It's been four years since I accidentally broke it, and I'm pleased to report that I've seen you naked many, many more times since then."

You flushed down to the roots of your hair, smacking Noya on the shoulder for saying such bold things.

Soon, the time came for you and Nishinoya to pick yourselves up and move elsewhere; the volleyball team, that had called to offer the libero a position on the team, was going to be starting up their training in the coming weeks; the kicker: their training base and organization was overseas.

So, two years after you graduated college, one year after he graduated, you and Noya packed up the apartment you'd grown to love; cramped as it was, especially since the two of you had adopted a puppy since moving in, you were sad to see it go. It had been a perfect 'first home' for the two of you, and your beautiful shiba-inu Hana.

You'd miss the area, the community park, but you had plenty of memories to satiate you. Even on the hardest days, those days you just wanted to just walk right on out of the veterinary clinic you worked at, walking Hana with Nishinoya at the end of the day as the sun set had never failed to make you relax. Playing volleyball at the park, passing the ball back and forth to each other as Hana rushed between the two of you, had been domestic bliss.

You'd perfected 'Rolling Thunder' by this point - Noya had taught it to you on one of your first dates, and it was debatable as to who pulled it off better. One time, Hinata and Kageyama had been dragged along to be the judges of who rolled better, but the vote was split; Hinata was for Noya, and Kageyama was for you. 

Domestic life had been perfect, getting to return to Noya's arms at the end of the day, every day. All the hardships at the clinic no longer mattered when you spooned your love at night, relishing just how warm he was, inhaling that same cinnamon scent you were so used to.

Setting off to a new country for Noya's volleyball career, leaving behind your family and friends - that had been the true test of your relationship. 

It was highly stressful, trying to fathom that you would only visit your home town every few months at best, always on the road, not really having a place to put roots down. Nishinoya was beyond excited to travel the world, but seeing your crestfallen face as you realized just how much would be sacrificed for it caused him pain; he even offered to reject the position on the team, if you wanted that.

You had protested immediately, waving him off and retreating back a few paces, adamant that he take the opportunity. Noya followed you, taking your face in his hands and pressing his forehead to yours.

"I would do anything for you, you know that? If that means refusing the job, I'll do it in a heartbeat."

Biting your lip, you thought a minute before shaking your head. It would be hard, but it was Noya's dream to travel the world, doing what he loved. 

"No, I've realized something." You finally said, causing Noya to raise a brow.

"Oh?"

"My biggest regret would be leaving my home behind."

"Yeah, I'd miss our friends and family too." He chimed in.

"Well, that's the thing," You said, smiling slightly, "I've realized that _you're_ my home. So wherever I am, whatever I do, it will be by your side."

Nishinoya's jaw dropped ever so slightly, and he blushed a deep pink color as he took in your words.

"Th-That's really deep." He managed, his throat sounding rather choked up. You pressed a quick kiss to his lips, and hugged him close, burying your head in his shoulder.

"Well, what do you expect? I've grown soft in the last six years." You murmured, and Noya's torso vibrated as he laughed.

"You've always been soft, honey. Though I only realized it when we got together." 

Squeezing his arm, you smiled into his shoulder, listening to his next words as they absolutely melted your heart.

"Thank you for sharing your life with me."

"Yuu, I wouldn't want it any other way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Most of this was purely self-indulgent :) Don't mind me living vicariously through the reader's perspective : ) 
> 
> Absolutely loved writing this epilogue, and I'm likely going to be including some "shorts" in the future, as there are a few other fluffy things spoken of in this chapter that I want to flesh out a little more! :D


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